Our Town: Tales From Radiator Springs
by Fabulous Cars Crazy Fudge
Summary: From a world where vehicles and humans co-exist comes this collection of short stories focusing on the lives of our favourite living vehicles in our favourite small town along with Fudge, Radiator Springs's resident human and Luigi and Guido's adopted daughter. Happy times, sad times, fluffy times. It's all here! Latest story: Florida 500 Alternate Version
1. Mater, Fudge and the Ghostlight

**So, I decided to delete my original _Tales From Radiator Springs_ document like I said I might do. Don't worry, though. I'm gonna try and make better stories and fix up the ones I didn't like. However, this was one that I was happy with, so I'm gonna keep it here as it was. This is obviously Fudge in the short, _Mater and the Ghostlight_.**

 **I imagine that the short takes place anywhere between a month and three months after the first movie, so that's when I set it and that makes Fudge six years old in this one.**

 **Enjoy (again)! :)**

 **Mater, Fudge and the Ghostlight**

When Mater invited Fudge to spend the night in his junkyard for a sleepover, it immediately raised some red flags. Could the townsfolk really trust the childish, immature tow truck to be in charge of a six-year-old girl, their precious baby, for the entire night? After he lost her when she was only five months old, he hadn't been trusted enough to be left alone with the little girl for more than ten minutes. Then again, she _was_ older now. It was less likely that Fudge was gonna get lost in the small town.

"We'll be good, I promise!" Mater had insisted.

"Yeah!" Fudge had chimed in. "Very, _very_ good!"

Luigi, the overprotective father, had hesitated. "I don't know..." He cast a doubtful glance towards Guido, the other overprotective father.

Mater and Fudge couldn't take it anymore. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease _please_!" the two of them had begged in unison.

A pause had followed.

"I don't see the harm in one sleepover", Luigi decided after what felt like a lifetime. "As long as you both behave."

The yellow Fiat barely had time to finish what he was saying. Fudge and Mater interrupted by cheering.

"But _behave_!" Luigi repeated sternly.

"We will", both tow truck and human promised simultaneously. They both looked so innocent. The others wondered who they thought they were fooling. It was obvious to everyone. They were planning something.

Fudge had been planning on behaving. She really had. She hated making her family, especially her daddies, angry. But Mater had other ideas.

It all started when Fudge had fallen asleep. Mater got an idea for a little fun, but first, he needed the little girl to wake up. How could he do that? The tow truck grinned. He had an idea.

Using some random pieces of junk around the yard, Mater was able to start up a rattling sound by clinking them together. Fudge stirred, but didn't wake up. Mater frowned. He needed to go one step further if he wanted to rouse her.

He started off by making the clinking louder. The human girl sat up sleepily and looked around nervously, but found nothing. Mater was gone.

"Mater?" she whimpered.

No answer.

"MATER!"

Still no answer.

Now, Fudge was really starting to panic. "Mater, where are you?!"

Everything was silent except for that constant rattling... until Fudge heard a loud scream as Mater jumped out from nowhere and scared the living daylights out of the poor girl.

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Mater burst out laughing. "Gotcha!"

"That's _mean_!" Fudge yelled, sounding close to tears. She slapped him in the fender lightly. "I'm only six!"

Mater didn't answer. He just rolled forward to get a look at the rest of the town.

"Hey, Fudge!" he whispered. "C'mon!"

"Where?" she questioned.

"We is gonna have some fun!"

"But... we promised we'd be good!" Fudge reminded him.

"It's just a little fun!" Mater insisted. "We'll still be behavin'."

"What are we doing?"

"I'll show ya!"

* * *

It was a typical, quiet night in Radiator Springs. Fudge still smiled when she saw all of the neon lights of the town. It had only been recently that she saw the town in all its glory and the sight never ceased to amaze the six-year-old.

"What are we doing?" Fudge wanted to know.

"We is gonna scare everybody!" Mater snickered. "Like I just scared you!"

"But... that's naughty!" the child protested. Not only that, but _she_ hadn't liked being scared and she knew the others wouldn't either.

"No it ain't!" Mater disagreed. "It's gonna be fun."

Fudge knew what Mater was like. He wasn't gonna let this go anytime soon. Besides, maybe it _would_ be fun.

"Okay", Fudge agreed reluctantly. "What do we do?"

* * *

Red was their first victim of the night. He was parked outside of the firehouse next to the Stanley statue, watering the flowers. Mater shot out his tow hook to grab hold of some flowers growing in a tyre.

"What are you doing?" Fudge whispered.

"You'll see."

Mater waited for just the right moment when Red was just about to water those flowers and the tow truck started pulling them closer towards him slowly. The fire truck was confused as the flowers jumped further and further away from him. Mater laughed and, after catching a glimpse at the scared and puzzled look on Red's face, Fudge found herself giggling along with him.

"See? Wasn't that funny?" Mater asked as he and Fudge ran off to cause more trouble.

"It was kind of funny", Fudge admitted.

"Well, we is just gettin' started!" the tow truck informed her.

"What are we gonna do next?"

* * *

"This is gonna be funny!" Fudge proclaimed, giggling.

"Ssh!" Mater hissed. "They're comin'! You're gonna give it away!"

Mater and Fudge were hiding amongst a stack of tyres. Luigi and Guido were creating a replica of the Roman Colosseum made entirely out of tyres. It was almost done and Guido was just putting the last tyres in place. Fudge was crouching behind the pile, trying to muffle her giggles (her adoptive fathers didn't seem to hear) and waiting for Mater's signal.

Finally, Mater gave her the signal. Together, the two of them screamed as they leapt out, sending tyres flying.

Fudge burst out laughing. So did Mater.

"That was fun!" Fudge declared with a big grin on her face. These pranks _were_ funny when she wasn't on the receiving end.

"Yeah!" Mater agreed.

"Let's do that again!" The six-year-old ran off to help Mater find their next victim.

They were both so excited that neither of them had noticed that scaring poor Guido and Luigi had caused both of them to faint. Had Fudge known that, she probably would've been too scared to continue.

* * *

Next, the pair decided to prank Sally. She was parked, reading, in the Cozy Cone lobby when Mater slid a cone in the window off to the side. At first, Sally didn't seem to notice, but when it got her attention, from where she was, it looked as if the cone was moving all by itself. Then she heard a noise. It sounded like someone giggling. Was someone there?

The Porsche rolled closer to investigate, only for Mater and Fudge to leap up out of nowhere. What made it look even scarier was that they'd both stuck cones into their mouths to make them look like vampires. Sally jumped and gasped, much to the pranksters' amusement.

* * *

Lizzie proved to be their challenge. The old car was fast asleep on her porch when Mater crept up, giggling.

"Boo!" he shouted to try and scare her.

Lizzie didn't even wake up.

"Why isn't she scared?" Fudge wondered.

Mater frowned before trying again. He pulled all the crazy faces and made all the strangest noises he could, even jumping up and down, sending dust flying, but to no avail. The old Model T was still fast asleep.

"Come on. This is _boring_!" Fudge complained, jumping off Lizzie's porch and running off. "Let's scare someone else!"

"All right." Mater followed her. "Who do ya wanna scare next?"

Fudge scanned the stores and other businesses of the town. "Well, not Doc or Sarge", she decided, spotting the clinic and surplus hut. She loved Sarge and Doc immensely, but sometimes, they scared her. She looked to her right. "What about Fillmore?"

"All right!"

So, the two pranksters tried to be as quiet as possible, making their way over to Fillmore's.

"What are we gonna do?" Fudge whispered.

Mater didn't answer. He was too busy staring at the Volkswagen van as he took cans of his organic fuel in one at a time.

"Fudge, go round the back and take some cans of fuel!" Mater instructed.

"But that's stealing!"

"No it ain't! We is gonna put 'em back! Jus' do it!"

Reluctantly, Fudge tiptoed to the back of Fillmore's dome and grabbed as many cans as she could.

While she was doing that, Mater watched Fillmore carefully. He took one of the three cans in front of the dome and disappeared inside with it. Mater took one of the cans Fudge had gotten hold of and replaced the one Fillmore had moved, so there were three again.

"Oh!" Fudge exclaimed, understanding. "We're not stealing the fuel because he's gonna put them all back!"

"Exactly!"

That was when Fillmore returned and, needless to say, he was confused to find that he still had three cans. Weren't there only _two_ when he went inside? He counted them for a second before, looking afraid, he went back inside.

But when he returned, his eyes widened. His front yard was _covered_ in cans of organic fuel. Poor Fillmore couldn't deal with it, so he went back inside again.

Fudge and Mater laughed like crazy.

"This is so fun!" Fudge repeated for the millionth time. Mater had been the brains of each and every prank they'd committed that night, but he'd still always given her some kind of job to do and she got great glee out of the residents' reactions.

"I know! And I got a good idea for our next one! Come on!"

Fudge grinned and followed Mater back to his junkyard.

* * *

It wasn't long before the townsfolk gathered at Flo's like they did every night.

"Gosh", Lightning McQueen whispered as he and Sally stared up at the night sky. "Sure is a nice night."

The sound of an oil can falling over followed by several little girl's giggles attracted Sally's attention. The Porsche chuckled. "It sure is a nice night!" She gestured towards a Mater-shaped stack of oil cans with a tow hook and a little pink and white shoe sticking out. Some muffled giggles came from behind the sign.

"I sure hope Mater and Fudge aren't waiting around anywhere to scare me", Lightning proclaimed sarcastically, rolling closer to the cans. "'Cause I'll freak out."

"Aww!" the pink and white shoe whined. Fudge slid out from behind the oil cans and ran back to her fathers for a hug. "You saw us!"

"Sorry, Fudge", Lightning chuckled. "But you two have gotta do a lot better than _that_ if you wanna-"

He was cut off by the sound of Mater jumping down from the roof and screaming. Lightning jumped a mile, speeding away and crashing into the oil cans, which was revealed to be the sign for Tow Mater's Towing and Salvage, which was the same shape as Mater.

Everyone burst out laughing as Lightning panted.

"If only you moved that fast on the race track", Doc commented.

"It was a trick!" Fudge informed him gleefully, jumping up and down in delight.

"Very clever", Lightning admitted, sounding amused.

"Oh, buddy!" Mater laughed. "You look like you just seen... _the Ghostlight_!"

"Mater!" Sheriff barked as he pulled up to the café, everyone parting to make room for him to glare at the tow truck. " _Don't. Mock. The Ghostlight_!"

"What _is_ the Ghostlight?" Lightning wanted to know.

Silence reigned over Radiator Springs. With the exception of Fudge, they all knew what the Ghostlight was and it could be a pretty sensitive topic. Especially with Fudge around. Mater had wanted to tell her the story many times before, but Sheriff (the one who usually told the story) and the others had always insisted that Fudge was too young for the Ghostlight. They didn't want to scare her.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Red, Fillmore and Lizzie reversed as Sheriff came forward.

"The Ghostlight is a glowing orb of blue translucent light that haunts these very parts", Sheriff explained, stopping in front of Fudge, Mater and Lightning.

"Nah, don't be too scared, buddy. It ain't real", Mater assured Lightning casually.

" **IT** ** _IS_** **REAL!** " Sheriff yelled.

The trio's eyes widened.

Sheriff began the story. "It all started on a night like tonight. The song dogs were wailin' at the moon off Cadillac Range while the summer wind blew hot like the breath of Zozobra. A young couple was headed down this very stretch of the Mother Road when they spotted an unnatural blue glow..."

Fudge whimpered. She really hoped that this wouldn't be _too_ scary. It was bad enough when Sheriff told her that one about the invisible human hitchhiker, who liked to scare people all over Route 66.

* * *

"...and all that was left were two out-of-state license plates", Sheriff concluded some time later. "So remember, the one thing that angers the Ghostlight more than anything else is the sound of clanking metal."

That was when Fudge was aware of the aforementioned sound and nearly jumped right out of her skin. The story had terrified her, even though she didn't understand the whole thing.

"What was _that_?!" she demanded.

It turned out to be Mater, who was shaking in fear from the story.

"Mater, _stop_!" she shrieked, prompting the tow truck to gasp.

So, Mater moved around a little bit, causing his tyres to squeak. He pressed the front of his body as close to the ground as he could get to get the noise to stop. It didn't work, though. His truck bed was still shaking. Mater was quick to solve this problem by hooking himself to his tow hook and pulling the truck bed down to the ground. Both he and Fudge were alarmed again when his air filter started rattling. Poor Mater had to strain to keep it down.

"As you head home tonight, keep an eye out", Sheriff instructed sinisterly, looking around at everyone. "The Ghostlight could be _anywhere_..." Then he grinned and sounded far too perky as he exclaimed, "Well, good night!" He sped off.

"I'm bushed!" Sally declared. "Good night!"

"Good night!" everyone called to each other in unison, making a beeline for their homes and switching the lights out.

In about ten seconds flat, Mater and Fudge were the only ones left at Flo's.

"What just happened?" Fudge asked fearfully.

"Uh... Good night!" Mater called.

And the lights at Flo's went out.

Fudge kept her eyes fixed on the shaking light directly in front of her coming from Mater's headlight as the tow truck trembled. Her hand rested on Mater's side near where the headlight was. He was singing quietly to try and calm himself down.

As they walked and drove into the junkyard, they heard some kind of clinking noise.

"What was _that_?!" Fudge whimpered.

When she and Mater looked, there appeared to be some kind of evil monster claw in the distance. With Mater caught between. Until Mater shone his headlights in that direction to reveal it to be random pieces of junk and the towing business sign in the distance. They sincerely hoped that what looked like a monster eating or crushing Mater didn't turn out to be an omen.

With Fudge clinging to him, Mater reversed into his shack. If the pair weren't scared enough, Mater was shaking so bad that his headlight popped out and smashed to the ground. They were in darkness.

"What do we do?!" Fudge whimpered.

"Let's jus' go to sleep", Mater suggested, his voice quivering.

Both of them knew that going to sleep was gonna be much easier said than done. Mater closed the door to his shack ("to keep the Ghostlight out!" he and Fudge had insisted). Only for it to immediately be opened again.

"Mater?"

Mater was instantly afraid of whatever it was Fudge was gonna say. "What?"

"The Ghostlight isn't _really_ real... Is it?" The six-year-old's blue eyes were wide in alarm.

"I don't know!" the rusty vehicle admitted. "I ain't ever _seen_ it... but that don't mean it ain't real!"

That was all Fudge needed to hear. The poor girl was in tears. "I wanna go home! I'm not staying _here_!"

"But you was gonna stay the night!" Mater pointed out.

"I don't care!" Fudge shouted, already beginning to collect all of the belongings that she had brought over. "I wanna go home!"

"C'mon, Fudge!" Mater cried. "You can't leave me all alone with-" He stopped and gasped. A yellow light was heading directly towards them. "Oh, no! It's the Ghostlight!"

Although Mater tried to back away from the light, Fudge had another idea. "I'm going home!" she insisted again. She headed straight for the light.

"Fudge, _no_!" Mater yelled as she ran off. "Why'd I let her go?! I can't watch!"

The tow truck squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could. He could hear Fudge's footsteps and crying. It was soon followed by a loud scream. Then it was silent. No footsteps. No crying. No nothing.

Mater's eyes shot wide open. "Fudge?! **FUDGE!** "

Fudge was gone!

"Oh no!" Mater yelped. "The Ghostlight done ate Fudge!"

And it was coming directly towards him.

He reversed to get away from it. "Ghostlight, I respect thee! Return from where ye came!"

However, when it got closer, Mater realised that it wasn't the Ghostlight at all. It was a small bug that flew off.

"Oh, it's just a lightnin' bug!" Mater chuckled in relief. "The Ghostlight ain't yeller, anyhow! Sheriff said the Ghostlight is blue!"

As if on cue, a blue light burst to life right behind Mater at that _exact_ moment. He froze in horror before he finally gathered up the courage to glance in his rearview mirror. He spotted an unnatural blue glow. It looked like... It _was_...

" **THE GHOSTLIGHT!** " Mater screamed.

He was out of his junkyard in record time, making so much noise in his hysterical state.

When he was gone, Lightning, Guido and Fudge came out of hiding. No. The Ghostlight _hadn't_ eaten Fudge, of course. This was what had really happened:

"I'm going home!" Fudge had been firm in her decision.

"Fudge, _no_!" Mater yelled as she ran off. "Why'd I let her go?! I can't watch!"

Still crying, Fudge made her way out of the junkyard. She had learned what the source of the yellow light really was, but in her fear and determination to get home, she forgot to tell Mater. She just ran.

Knowing that the light she'd seen had been a mere lightning bug did nothing to calm her down. She was still worried that the Ghostlight was still out there somewhere. And that it was just a matter of time...

It turned out that Fudge chose a bad moment to turn around to see if the Ghostlight was behind her. She ended up smacking into something cold and metal. And when she glanced up, she saw a blue light coming towards her!

The poor girl screamed. " **IT'S THE GHOSTLIGHT!** " She cried harder.

"Fudge! Fudge! It's okay!" a familiar voice assured her. "It's me!"

The six-year-old glanced up. "Lightning?"

"Yeah, it's me", he confirmed. He had a blue lantern with him. "I'm sorry, Fudge-O! I didn't mean to scare you!"

"What are you doing with that light?!"

Guido approached the two. " _Si_!" he called to Lightning. "(It looks good!)"

Fudge jumped into Guido's arms. "Guido!" she cried.

The forklift shushed her soothingly and rocked her, causing her sobs to subside a little bit. "(It is okay!)" he whispered. "(Please don't cry, Fudge! It is okay! The Ghostlight is not real! It is just a joke! We are just going to play a little joke on Mater!)"

"(What joke?)" Fudge wanted to know, hiccupping.

Guido smiled and gave Fudge a playful tap on the nose. "(You will see!)"

So, Fudge hid with Guido and Lightning while they got everything ready. By that point, she had stopped crying. Seeing Guido had calmed her down a little bit, but she wasn't relaxed enough to be giggling over the prank. She was just crouched down silently as she watched the two older male vehicles work, still fearing that the Ghostlight would come and get her.

Despite her fear, she'd burst out laughing when Mater zoomed out of the yard, screaming. Lightning tapped Guido's fork with a tyre in a high-five.

Meanwhile, Mater raced through town, completely oblivious to the fact that it was a lantern attached to his tow hook rather than the Ghostlight.

"The Ghostlight's right behind me!" But that's when he skidded to a halt and swung his tow hook. For a second, it seemed like the joke was over, but instead... "Now it's in front of me!" He drove backwards the same way he came, past Lightning, Guido and Fudge, who were now joined by Sally and Luigi to watch. "It's right on my tail!"

Poor Mater was doing anything to get away from the "Ghostlight". He shot through the tractor field, tipping the tractors over and waking Frank. (Luckily for the tow truck, the combine harvester chose to ignore it.)

Then it didn't take Mater long to reach Willy's Butte. He didn't know how he got there. All he was focusing on was the Ghostlight right behind him. He was racing around the track and even drifting at one point!

"The Ghostlight's gonna eat me like it ate Fudge!" Mater hollered as he raced past the crowd of residents, which had formed to enjoy the show (he was still unaware of them watching).

Although, Ramone wasn't all that interested apparently. "Uh... Let me know how it turns out." And with that, he headed off.

It took an hour for Mater to wear himself out. He was practically dragging himself back to his junkyard.

"Ghostlight's gonna... strip my parts", he mumbled to himself, "and sell 'em on the computer auction website..." That was when he _finally_ caught sight of what was on the end of his tow hook all along. He swung the lantern, so it lined up with his windshield. "Hey! Wait a minute..."

Everyone burst out laughing.

"Gotcha!" Lightning chuckled.

"Shoot, I knowed this was a joke the whole time!" Mater lied. Then he gasped as he noticed someone. "Fudge!" He pounced on her and gave her a big hug. "Yer alive! I thought the Ghostlight done ate you!"

"I'm all right!" the six-year-old assured him.

"You done scared me!" Mater insisted, seemingly changing his story of having known it was a joke all along.

"You see, son", Sheriff piped up, "the only thing to be scared of out here is your imagination."

"Yup", Doc agreed. "That and, of course, the Screamin' Banshee. Well, good night!"

"Good night!" everyone called, hurrying home. Luigi even scooped Fudge up and took her back to town with him.

And just like that, Mater was left all alone in the middle of the road. And in the dark. Even the streetlights went out. The only light was coming from the lantern.

"The Screamin' what?" the tow truck whimpered. Immediately, he began shaking again.

* * *

"Luigi?" Fudge murmured quietly once everyone was back in town.

"Yes, Fudge?"

"The Ghostlight isn't _really_ real, is it?" she repeated the question she'd asked Mater.

"No, Fudgie", he assured her softly, giving her a kiss. "It is not real. Don't worry."

"I'm still scared!" she insisted.

"Don't be, okay? It is not real, Fudge.

"Okay..." Fudge agreed uncertainly. "Then... what is _that_?"

Everyone looked in the direction Fudge was pointing. In the distance, there was an unnatural blue glow heading straight towards them.

"I am sure it is just Mater with the lantern, Fudgie", Luigi assured her soothingly.

But as it got closer, it was clear Mater wasn't holding the light. _Nobody_ was holding the light! There was nobody there!

" **IT'S THE GHOSTLIGHT!** " Fudge yelped.

Everyone's eyes widened and they all darted into their homes, most of them screaming.

"I'm sleeping with you tonight!" Fudge informed Luigi firmly.

Luigi didn't protest. In fact, he would never, ever admit it, but, after the scare he'd just had, he was secretly glad that his daughter wanted to sleep with him. And Fudge would go on to sleep with him every night for the next six weeks.

Meanwhile, outside, the invisible hitchhiker was confused. Didn't they want their lantern back? He shrugged. _Guess the Screaming Banshee was wrong_.

 **What did you guys think? Let me know in the reviews! At one point, I was considering having them prank Fudge as well, but I thought that it would be kind of cruel if they did that to a little girl.**

 **I really wish Pixar would do more** ** _Cars_** **shorts like this! Maybe half an hour Halloween and Christmas specials. I mean, they have Halloween and Christmas songs at Cars Land (on YouTube if you wanna check 'em out), so I think it'll be cool if they made videos to go with them. Pixar, if you're reading this, I really think you should consider doing that (and maybe putting Fudge in them!). XD**

 **I have a question for you guys. Which short stories did I have in the original collection that you liked? So, I know which ones I should put back up. There are a couple I'm planning on fixing up, though. I really would appreciate some answers here. Thanks.**


	2. When Fudge Met Sally

**Hi! I'm back! I'm back with a new story. Well, new to you, but old to me. This was an original part of my _Life Could Be a Dream_ story. I've just had to add some more details here and there and cut out stuff that didn't make sense or seemed unnecessary with it being a one-shot this time around.**

 **As you may have guessed by the title, this story is about Sally's arrival in Radiator Springs, which I kind of imagine takes place two years before the events of the first movie, so... yeah...**

 **I personally don't think this one is that great and you'll see why when you read it.**

 **When Fudge Met Sally**

24th May 2004

"We going to Flo's, we going to Flo's?!" a three-going-on-four-year-old Fudge questioned, bouncing up and down ecstatically.

Luigi laughed. "Yes, we are going over to Flo's", he assured her, "but we need to get your shoes and your magnets on first!" The little human girl was so excited that she couldn't keep still, making it harder for her fathers to put her shoes on (she needed help with her shoes because she didn't know how to tell left and right apart yet).

"(And I think you will want this!)" Guido added, holding up Fudge's pacifier.

Fudge lit up as Guido placed the pacifier into her mouth. " _Grazie_!"

The whole town was in disbelief over how fast Fudge was growing up. She was gonna be _four_ in less than a month. The human no longer _looked_ like a baby. She just looked like a little person. She didn't even _talk_ like a baby anymore. She was babbling away and could speak both English _and_ Italian. In fact, with the amount of time she spent with Luigi and Guido, she had an American-Italian accent, which the others adored.

Now that she was ready, Luigi scooped Fudge up. "Okay. Let's go!"

Even though there was never any traffic in Radiator Springs, the townsfolk had gotten Fudge into the habit of checking to make sure the road was safe before she crossed.

"Why?" Fudge had asked on many occasions. "It's always safe."

"But what if it's not?" her family had reasoned. "We don't want you getting hurt."

On that particular morning, once she determined that the road was safe, Fudge followed Luigi and Guido across the street to Flo's. When they arrived, everyone glanced up from their oil to greet the youngest member of their family.

"Mornin', Fudge!"

"Howdy, Fudge!"

"How ya doin', Fudge?!"

Fudge grinned. She loved the attention she received when she arrived at Flo's every morning.

"Does Fudgie want some juice?" Flo questioned with a smile.

Fudge jumped up and down excitedly. "Juice, juice, juice, juice!"

Flo laughed. "All right. I'll go and get it."

It didn't take long for Fudge to grow bored. The adults were all talking about everything from politics to the weather to "the game last night". Nothing she understood or cared about. Where was Flo with her juice?

"I got this feeling", Doc announced at one point, "that today's gonna be a very interestin' day. Don't know why. It's just a feeling I got."

"Yeah, but you probably better not get your hopes up", Flo put in. "Last time I got that feelin' was back in '95 when Ramone fell off that ladder, puttin' up a banner."

Fudge was getting thirsty and Flo still didn't have her juice. The three-year-old was sat by Luigi's side and spied Luigi's can of oil. Everyone else had drinks in front of them. She was the only one who didn't. _They_ could all drink oil. Why couldn't _she_? Not realising the consequences, she leaned over and took a sip of Luigi's oil.

She made a face. It tasted awful! How could the others _drink_ this stuff all the time? She tried to spit it out, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, Reluctantly, she swallowed and immediately began gagging.

"You okay, honey?" Flo quizzed her worriedly. She had _finally_ arrived with Fudge's juice.

Luigi's eyes widened, realising what had happened. "Oh, _no_!" he gasped.

" _Fudge_!" Doc groaned. "Did you drink Luigi's oil?!"

Fudge answered that question by allowing a river of vomit to flow out of her mouth. It had a black tinge, the same colour as the oil.

"That was _very_ naughty!" Doc picked her up. "You're comin' with me!"

* * *

"Is she okay?" Luigi questioned nervously once Doc had examined her.

"Yoo-ee-dee!" Fudge shouted. She was lying on a cot in the clinic where Doc had instructed her to stay in order to get some rest. "Gee-go!" _Yoo-ee-dee_ and _Gee-go_ were the ways Fudge said her adoptive fathers' names. She had baby names for all of them that she used when she was a baby and couldn't say their real names. Now, she was perfectly capable of saying all of their names, but still liked to call them by their "Fudge names" sometimes.

"She should be fine", he assured the two Italians. "She didn't swallow much and what she _did_ swallow, she threw up almost straight away. I got some medicine for her and I want her to stay here for a little while and rest, but you should be able to take her home this evenin'."

Luigi nodded, kissing his daughter. " _Grazie_ , Doc."

"Doc! Doc!" The doors to the clinic flung open and Flo burst in.

"What is it, Flo? What's wrong?" Doc questioned.

"There's a car up at the Wheel Well!" the former show car explained. "She's broken down! Mater's towin' her back here, but she needs fixin'."

"All right, Flo. I'll get my tools ready." He turned to Luigi and Guido. "I'm gonna need you two to keep an eye on Fudge while I do that." He gave Luigi a bottle of medicine. "What I need you to do is give 'er two teaspoons of this and then all you gotta do is just keep 'er quiet. Why don't you sing 'er some of your songs?" he suggested with a smile.

Doc knew that Guido and Luigi often sang some Italian songs to Fudge to calm her down or get her to sleep. They would always do it when he had to give her a shot.

So, Guido and Luigi did everything Doc said. Fudge had her medicine (reluctantly, but she let Guido put the two teaspoons in her mouth). Then her fathers made sure she was lying down, put her pacifier in her mouth and they sang soothingly to her.

* * *

The new car was a baby blue Porsche, who had come from somewhere west of Radiator Springs. California, probably. There wasn't much wrong with her. She just needed her engine taken care of. Like Fudge, Doc wanted this stranger to rest before she went anywhere. So, he led her into the room Fudge's cot was in.

"I'll let you rest in here with my other patient", he told her.

And the Porsche just melted at the sight of the little girl, fast asleep on the cot.

"Oh, she's _so cute_!" she exclaimed, making a beeline for Fudge. "She's _adorable_!"

Doc smiled. "Yes she is."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She swallowed some oil", Doc explained. "Should be all right. She just needs to rest. And so do you."

But this newcomer still had questions about Fudge. "How old is she?"

"She's almost four."

"Where are her parents?"

"We _are_ her parents", Luigi replied, speaking for himself and Guido.

"Really?" The Porsche hadn't realised that the girl was adopted. "Well, where are her real parents? I mean, her _human_ parents."

"Her mother left her when she was a baby", Doc informed her quietly. "Guido and Luigi here took her in after that."

"Oh! Poor little thing!"

"Yeah, well, Fudge is well looked after here."

"Her name is _Fudge_?!"

"Yeah."

"Well", she declared with a smile, "I'll bet she's as sweet as her name."

"She is", Luigi agreed.

"Though you should probably know that she's not exactly used to meetin' new people", Doc added. "So, she might not... You know... behave appropriately. She's probably gonna be curious, that's all."

She smiled. "Right."

Doc was right. Fudge _was_ curious. She'd never met a new person before. So, when she woke up, she was _very_ confused. She wasn't expecting some stranger to be there. For the three-year-old, it didn't seem quite real to _have_ some stranger there. It was just so different. So, of course, she had a _lot_ of questions.

"Who are _you_?"

"Hi." The unfamiliar car smiled at the girl, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. She ran a tyre through Fudge's hair. "You've never seen me before, have you?"

Fudge shook her head.

"My name is Sally. I've come from California. Do you know where that is?"

She nodded excitedly. "That's where Disneyland is!" She'd seen Disneyland commercials on TV.

Sally laughed. "That's right!"

"I wanna go there!" In that moment, Fudge decided that she liked Sally.

"Maybe one day you will... Your name is Fudge, right?"

The three-year-old nodded. "How do you know that?"

"Doc told me."

"Oh. You know Doc?"

"Not really. I just met him."

"Oh", Fudge repeated.

"How are you feeling? I heard you drank some oil."

"I'm okay."

"Well, we need to have a little talk about that", Doc piped up.

"Uh-oh!" Fudge murmured softly, knowing that she was in _big_ trouble.

"Why'd you do it, Fudge?"

"Everyone else drinks it!" she pointed out.. "Why can't _I_?"

"Fudge, we've _told_ you humans can't drink oil!" Doc reminded her. "You worry us when you do this!" He didn't add that if the American Child Adoption and Foster Care Association (ACAFCA) found out about it, something like that could have her taken away. He didn't want to scare or upset her.

The child hung her head guiltily. "I'm sorry."

Doc sighed, stroking her hair. "It's all right. Just please don't do it again, all right?"

She nodded. "All right... I didn't like it."

The doctor smiled. "I'm not surprised. Humans don't like that stuff. It's for cars."

"Well, I am sure you are not going to do it again." Luigi gave her a kiss.

Fudge returned the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Then, with a huge grin, Fudge leapt out of bed. Before anybody could insist that she returned, the three-year-old held out her arms to Sally.

"Up, please!" she requested sweetly. She jumped up and down. "Up, up, up!"

Sally beamed and didn't hesitate to scoop the girl up and place her on her hood, much to her delight. Fudge giggled.

"I think she likes you", Doc observed with a chuckle.

Sally's smile grew wider. "I like her too."

* * *

It wasn't long before both Fudge and Sally were allowed to leave the clinic (Sally was even well enough to help Luigi, Guido and Doc give Fudge a bath that night, insisting that she wanted to help). Fudge went back home while Sally decided to stay in Radiator Springs. She said there was something about the town that she loved, that told her to stay, even just for a little while (at that point, nobody was sure whether her stay was temporary or permanent). So, she did. Flo and Ramone offered to let her stay in their garage, which she accepted.

However, soon, one of the old businesses attracted the young sports car's attention. The Cozy Cone Motel. As you could probably figure out, that was a motel designed to look like caution cones. The townsfolk told her that she could have it and she restored it to its original condition. It was ready to go. If any customers came.

* * *

And that wasn't the only change Sally brought about.

"You know what we should do?" she announced one sunny day at Flo's.

She sounded very cheerful, so immediately, everyone was interested. "What?"

"We should hold a rehearsal to prepare for any unexpected customers!"

"But why?" Sarge wondered. "It doesn't sound like something we really need to prepare."

Everyone else chimed in with their agreement.

"Well", Sally looked around at them all, "if a customer was to show up right now, what would you say to them?"

There was a moments' hesitation as everyone stuttered through welcomes and offers for the town's businesses.

Sally laughed. "This is exactly why we need to rehearse."

In a matter of minutes, the Porsche had everything figured out. She would be the director; all the business owners were actors and Doc, Sheriff and Mater would play the customers.

"What can _I_ do?" Fudge, who had already turned four by this point, wanted to know. It had taken her a while to understand what was going on, but once she did, she was interested.

Sally thought for a moment, trying to think of a job that Fudge could do.

"Why don't you help me?" she suggested finally, scooping the little girl onto her hood. "You can be the assistant director."

"What's that?" she wondered.

"You can say, 'Action!' to start the rehearsal and 'Cut!' to finish", the Porsche explained.

"Okay!" Fudge was thrilled to be a part of the activity in any way shape or form.

"Is everyone ready?" Sally called out after five minutes of getting everyone into the right positions.

"I think so!" nearly everyone responded.

"Are _you_ ready, Fudge?"

"Ready!" she declared.

"Okay. Say, 'Action!'" Sally commanded.

"Action!" Fudge cried.

How did the rehearsal go? Well, not great. Nearly everyone forgot their lines and their cues.

"No, no, no!" Sally kept shouting. "We're going in order of the stores they pass! Guys, give the customers some room! No, the line is, 'Hello. Welcome to Radiator Springs, gateway to Ornament Valley, legendary for first quality service and friendly hospitality. How can we help you?"

Plus, it was no secret that nobody particularly _enjoyed_ the rehearsals, but they had to admit that it was useful. Besides, it gave them something to do.

"I don't think that went well", Doc stated the obvious at the end of rehearsal.

Sally, who looked like she was losing her mind, sighed. "We'll get there", she insisted, not sounding sure at all.

Maybe Sally hadn't brought business back to their town, but she brought everyone's spirits up just like Fudge had when she was born. It was a start.

 **So, there you have it. As much as I tried, I feel like this one kind of lacked detail and I knew, as I often tend to do, that if I tried to add more detail, it would just sound _really_ repetitive. Lack of detail or constant repetition; not really great choices. Plus, I don't really feel like it ended very well. I guess that's because I don't feel like that's the end of the story. I kind of feel like the first movie is the rest of that story. Like I said, I tried.**

 **Yeah. Fudge and Sally just love each other in an instant. I figured that kind of made sense, given that Fudge is a little kid, so it probably wouldn't take much and I just imagine that Sally _loves_ kids.**

 **One quick question: I want to redo some of the old stuff here, interspersed with some new works. For example, _Fudge vs. Chick_ , I feel, just needs some minor adjustments and _My Heart Will Go On_ needs rewriting completely. Which ones do you want to see first, if at all? That way, I know which ones to focus on. I will appreciate any answers you give me.**

 **Please review :)**


	3. Fast as Lightning

**Edit:** **I'm changing something in all of my stories, so Fudge races on Lightning's roof rather than his hood. I think that makes more sense.**

 **Hi, guys! This is a story I promised you a while back when I was writing _Life Could Be a Dream_. This is how Fudge starts going out racing with Lightning McQueen!**

 **The story takes place during the events of _Life Could Be a Dream_ when the town is back on the map, but the social workers haven't arrived yet, making Fudge five years old in this one. Plus, there are connections to _Ride_ , so I guess this is a companion fic to both of those.**

 **Enjoy. :)**

 **Fast as Lightning**

Fudge Rossi-Topolino had spent all six years of her life (well, _almost_ six years; her birthday was right around the corner) in a small and empty town. Things had always moved slow in Radiator Springs. That meant that she hadn't really seen anything move all that fast in her life.

All of that changed the day she met Lightning McQueen.

Not only was he fast on the track, but a lot had changed in Radiator Springs over the last couple of weeks, thanks to him and nobody could believe it. For the first time in years, customers were coming through and buying things in town. Several of the closed-down attractions, such as the drive-in theatre and the Wheel Well Motel were being reopened. Still, Fudge wasn't as happy about that as the rest of her family. It was hard, knowing that her family didn't have time for her like they used to. Plus, since they couldn't play with her, they suggested that she found some of the children passing through with their families and play with them. Although, that didn't always turn out so well...

One afternoon, Fudge had just finished her lunch and, at Luigi and Guido's suggestion, decided to see if there were any children to play with. When she spotted a group consisting of a dark blue pickup truck, two forklifts- one dark green and a boy and the other mint green and a girl- and three humans- a blonde girl, an African-American girl and a red-haired boy- who all looked about her age, she made a beeline towards them.

"Can I play?" she asked automatically, fearing the response. Sometimes, the kids said no.

All six of the other kids eyed the newcomer critically. Fudge was a human girl with curly, shoulder-length brown hair, pale blue eyes and freckles all over her face. She was short and kind of pudgy, dressed in a pale pink T-shirt, denim dress that came to her knees with sparkly butterflies on the front, blue socks and black patent leather shoes. They had all noticed that she was often by herself, but she looked normal enough to them.

"Sure", the girl forklift replied.

"Yay!" she cheered. "So, who are you guys?"

The pickup truck introduced himself as Jack. The forklifts were twins named Billy and Milly. The human boy was Brandon and the blonde girl and African-American girl were Emma and Alexis respectively.

"What's your name?" Emma asked.

"I'm Fudge", Fudge answered.

" _Fudge_?!" all six of them repeated in unison, choking on their giggles.

"Yeah!" She had always been called Fudge and didn't understand why so many people thought her name was weird. "What are we playing?"

"We're going to pretend we're in medieval times", Jack announced. "I'm gonna be the king!"

"Emma and I are the princesses!" Alexis declared, twirling around.

"The beautiful, beautiful princesses!" Emma added, joining her friend in twirling around.

"I'm the brave knight!" Billy proclaimed.

"I wanna be a queen!" Fudge decided.

"You can't be!" Milly insisted. " _I'm_ the queen! You can be my servant!"

"And ours!" Emma and Alexis chimed in.

"But that's boring!"

"Do you wanna play with us or not?"

Fudge didn't really want to be the servant and she didn't want to play with these bossy kids either. (Why was it that she always seemed to get the short end of the stick whenever she played with the other kids?) Still, she wanted to be included in any way. Besides, the rest of her family were all busy. There wasn't really a better option. "Fine!" she agreed reluctantly.

However, it wasn't long before Fudge grew bored. Being the girls' servant meant that she had to spend a lot of time standing around doing nothing.

"Okay. It's my turn to be the queen now!" she decided.

"No it's not!" Milly argued. "You don't get a turn!"

"Well, the slave is taking over!" Fudge shot back.

"What are you talking about?!" the others demanded.

Fudge picked up a stick and pretended it was a sword as the boys had done. "I saw it in a movie once! The slave got tired of being the slave, so he decided to rule the kingdom himself."

"No!" Jack shouted. "This is _our_ kingdom!"

"Go away!" Milly yelled.

"We don't want to play with you!" Brandon hollered.

"Yeah, you're ruining the game!" Emma added.

"Yeah, we don't like you!" Alexis chimed in.

So, Fudge ran off, not knowing where to go. Luckily, she spotted Lightning heading towards her. He had seen and heard everything that had just happened and was ready to comfort her (in the couple of weeks since his arrival in Radiator Springs, he'd already seen Fudge cry at least half a dozen times, so he was getting pretty good at it). He could see the tears in her eyes.

"Hey! It's okay, Fudge!" he assured her, giving her a hug as she began to cry. "Don't cry!"

"They were mean to me!" she wailed.

"I know."

"Why don't any of the other kids like me?!"

"It's not your fault, sweetie", he assured her. "You're just different. They don't understand." He gave her a small smile. "I'm supposed to be meeting Doc for training now. Why don't you come with me? You wanna come with me?"

The five-year-old nodded. "Okay." She had loved seeing Lightning race in the tiebreaker and watched him race by Willy's Butte whenever she could.

"All right. Come on." Lightning scooped the girl onto his hood.

* * *

"You're late, son", was Doc's greeting when they arrived at Willy's Butte.

"Sorry", Lightning apologised. He nodded to the girl, who was sniffling and drying her eyes. "Fudge here was just a little upset. I didn't want to just leave her like that."

Doc softened a little bit. He, like everyone else in town, knew that all of the changes lately had been hard on her. "All right."

"Is it okay if she watches us?"

"Sure", Doc replied. "Now, come on. Time's a wastin'. We got a lotta work to do." He pointed to a spot on the ground way out of the way of the racetrack. "Fudge, you sit right there, all right? Don't come any closer unless I say so."

"Okay." Fudge plopped herself down on the ground.

"You", Doc went on, looking at Lightning, trying to be serious, even though their training was usually anything but, "you follow me."

The two of them started making their way towards the makeshift starting line made out of rope and tyres.

"Can I do the, 'on your marks, get set, go?!'" Fudge pleaded eagerly.

Doc chuckled. "Why not? I'll let you know when."

"Yay!" the almost-six-year-old cheered.

So, the two racers lined themselves up and revved their engines fiercely.

"All right, Fudge!" Doc called. "You can say it!"

Fudge beamed. "On your marks... get set... _**GO**_ **!** "

They were off! Fudge gazed with a deep fascination as the two racers tore it up around the track. She remembered the first time she saw Lightning race there. His speed was quite impressive; his skills on dirt were not. Then she saw Doc race on this very same track. Now, _that_ was impressive. Fudge had known long before anybody else that Doc was a race car, but she didn't _quite_ believe it till she saw it for herself. And boy, was she blown away when she did!

But it wasn't just that. To Fudge, going that fast didn't just _look_ cool. She was sure that it would _be_ cool too. Whenever she saw Lightning rocket away from the starting line, all she could think about was how much she wished she could go that fast. She'd seen humans ride on race cars on TV before. Why couldn't she do the same? There was no reason that she could think of that could stop her.

Even better, why didn't she learn how to get that fast herself? Sure, she hadn't actually _seen_ another human go that fast, but that meant she could be the first, right? How cool would that be?

* * *

Finally, the two race cars started to slow down. They were coming in for one last lap and Lightning finished ahead of Doc.

"Lightning wins, Lightning wins!" Fudge cheered. She leapt up, brushed the dirt off her dress and commenced jumping up and down. "Go, Lightning! Go, Lightning!"

"Yeah!" the younger race car shouted. He picked Fudge up and tossed her in the air a little.

"Be careful with her, rookie!" Doc cautioned from behind them.

"I will, I will!" he assured the older race car. He continued to toss her in the air. "We won, Fudge-O! We _won_!"

" _We_?" Fudge repeated. " _I_ wasn't racing."

"Come on, Fudge!" Lightning laughed. "You know a race car is nothing without his team." _You're one of the people who helped_ me _realise that_ , he thought to himself.

He launched into the task of tickling the girl, making her laugh hysterically and squeal with delight. McQueen was still new in town, but it hadn't taken him long at all to discover that Fudge was probably the most ticklish person on the planet. She was rolling and wiggling around and kicking; it didn't take long for her dress to end up over her shoulders.

"Good race, son!" Doc proclaimed, sounding out of breath as he joined the other two. "You're learnin' fast."

Lightning shrugged modestly. "What can I say? I learned from the best."

Doc chuckled. "I suppose you did, didn't you?"

The two of them laughed.

"You're really fast!" Fudge commented, hugging Lightning. "It's so cool!"

"Thanks, Fudge."

"I wish I could go as fast as you!" the five-year-old went on. "That would be the funnest thing ever!"

"Yeah? You think so?"

"Yeah! How did you get that fast?"

"Well, you gotta be built for this kind of speed, Fudge-O", Lightning explained. "And then it takes a lot of practise."

"Maybe one day, _I_ could be that fast!"

Doc gave her a sad smile. "I don't think so, Fudge-O."

All of the joy leaked out of Fudge's face. "Why not?"

"Because you're not a race car." The Hudson Hornet felt sorry for her, but he knew she had to be set straight at some point. She couldn't believe that forever. "You're a human. Humans can't go as fast as regular cars, let alone race cars. You know how you're always runnin' out of breath, keepin' up with us?"

"So..." Fudge's heart sank. "I'll never be as fast as Lightning?"

Doc shook his hood.

That was all he needed to do for Fudge's tears to start up. "That's not fair!" she cried.

"No, it's not." Lightning gave her a hug. "But you know, as a human, you can do cool things that I can't."

"Like what?" she demanded, sniffling.

"You can climb trees-"

"She can climb 'em, but she can't get down!" Doc laughed. Normally when Fudge climbed trees, she got too scared to come down and they had to get Red.

All that did was make Fudge cry even harder. "I can't do _anything_! And that doesn't sound as cool as racing anyway!" she added.

"I'm sure you'll find something cool you wanna do", Lightning assured her. "You're only five. You've got your whole life ahead of you."

"But I'm nearly six!"

"Yeah, well, you still got plenty of time to decide what you wanna do when you're big. Six is little to us."

Fudge didn't look convinced.

* * *

"Fudge! There you are!" Luigi called out, rushing towards her with Guido. The pair were immediately concerned when they noticed that she was crying.

"(What's wrong?)" Guido wanted to know, picking her up and giving her a hug.

Fudge didn't answer.

Luigi turned to Lightning and Doc. "What happened?"

Lightning told him.

"Is that true?!" Fudge quizzed Luigi when he was done, breaking everyone's hearts. Fudge was very close to Luigi and relied on him a lot. She probably wouldn't believe it was really true until Luigi confirmed it.

"It is true", he admitted with a sigh.

"That's not fair!" Fudge protested. "I wanna go as fast as Lightning!"

"I know, but you can do a lot of things Lightning can't", Luigi pointed out.

"Nothing that cool!" the human girl insisted.

"I am sure you will find something", Luigi assured her, kissing her gently. "For now, we are going to have dinner at Flo's. And then you are going in the bath and to bed, okay? We can have a long talk about this tomorrow."

"Okay", Fudge sniffled.

"Okay. Let's go." Luigi started making his way back to town with Guido following, carrying the sobbing Fudge after him.

"Poor kid", Lightning commented sadly when they were gone.

"I guess she's really learnin' what it means to be a human now", Doc sighed.

Nearly six months earlier, some social workers had arrived in town to try and relocate Fudge, so she could live with humans. Despite the townsfolk's protests, there was nothing they could do to prevent the social workers from returning on Fudge's sixth birthday to take her away. Fudge had always known that she was a different species to the rest of her family. It was just only now that she was learning what that _really_ meant.

"Yeah..." It was Lightning's turn to sigh.

"Come on, rookie!" Doc changed the subject abruptly. "We should head on over to Flo's. I am dyin' for a quart of oil."

Lightning followed wordlessly. He couldn't take his mind off Fudge for the rest of the night. She really wanted to go fast. Well, he could sure relate to _that_ , but not to being unable to go fast. He wished there was something he could do.

 _Maybe there_ is _!_ he told himself as he was leaving Flo's for the night. On his way over to the Cozy Cone, he had an idea. He turned around and started making his way over to Doc's clinic to tell his mentor the idea.

* * *

"Absolutely _not_!" Doc replied firmly, driving away from the younger race car and commencing the task of putting his tools away, as if to say. _End of discussion_.

Lightning followed. "Oh, come on, Doc! Why not?"

Doc gave him an _Are you kidding me?_ look. "Lightnin' McQueen, I want you to take a second and think about what you've just asked me. _Really_ think about it!"

"I've asked you if I could make a five-year-old girl very happy."

"You've asked me if you can put a five-year-old girl in the middle of one of the most dangerous sports in the _world_!" Doc corrected, rolling his eyes. "What if she gets hurt? You can't say that won't happen!" he rushed on as Lightning opened his mouth to protest. "No racer, not even _you_ , is always gonna avoid every single crash. Look at me. Look at The King."

Lightning sighed and stared at the ground, defeated. As much as he wanted to make Fudge happy, he couldn't argue with the logic.

"Don't get me wrong", Doc went on, softening a little. "I think it's great you wanna do somethin' like this for Fudge. I just don't think racin' is the way to go. If somethin' happened to her- and it _will_ ; if you were to keep takin' her, it would only be a matter of time- I would never be able to forgive myself and neither would you. Besides, even if I _did_ okay the idea, you'd still have to take it up with Guido and Luigi first. And I think you can guess how _that_ would go."

"Yeah, I guess you're right", Lightning admitted. He had grown to love Fudge and certainly didn't want to be responsible for anything like that happening to her.

"I'm glad you see it that way... You didn't tell Fudge about this, did you?"

"No! Of course not! I wasn't about to get her hopes up."

"Good. I don't want 'er ever thinkin' that it's a good idea." Doc paused and added, "She really looks up to you, ya know."

McQueen did know. As his character changed for the better after his week in Radiator Springs and after seeing him in the tiebreaker race, he was kind of a superhero in Fudge's eyes. Nobody knew for sure whether that or the fact that he tended to be the only one not busy when there was a rush of customers that was the reason why Fudge tended to follow him around like a lost puppy dog. Probably both.

"Doc!" Luigi cried, rushing into the clinic. "Doc, we need you! Fudge is hurt!"

"What'd she do _this_ time?" Doc wanted to know with a sigh.

"She was jumping on her bed again and she fell and bumped her head and her knee!" Luigi babbled. "We don't think it is serious, but we wanted to make sure."

The Hudson Hornet gave a slight groan as he shot Lightning a look as if to say, _And you want to take her out racing!_ "All right, Luigi. I'm comin'." He started rolling out of the clinic with Lightning and Luigi following. "How many times have we told her not to jump on the bed?"

"Well, I hope this time, she has learned her lesson", Luigi commented. "I think she has."

* * *

Nearly a week later, the idea of Fudge going racing was forgotten. Doc and Lightning were focused on training for the new racing season (even though the last one had just finished, Doc had insisted that that was no excuse for not being ready). The storeowners were focused on the flood of customers and flurry of activity that had taken over their town in the last couple of weeks. Fudge was focused on feeling sorry for herself because nobody wanted to play with her.

Lightning McQueen had just finished training with Doc, who was now performing a checkup on Sheriff, and was strolling down Main Street. He was lonely and kind of bored. Everyone was busy with their business.

Well, not everyone.

By the side of the road between Luigi's and the curio shop, Fudge was chasing after a group of kids- most of them boys- who looked to be about nine or ten. They were all laughing hysterically.

"Try and hit me again!" one of the human boys taunted over his shoulder as Fudge ran after him.

"Hi-ya!" Fudge shouted, swatting at the air, trying to hit the boys, who laughed so hard the vehicles were crying and the humans had to clutch their stomachs.

"Who does she think she is?!" a sleek black Mustang GT teased. "Jackie Chan?!"

Fudge didn't answer. She just kept chasing them. Finally, she managed to catch up with a red-haired girl and kick her in the shin.

"She's so weak!" the girl laughed. "I've seen a cornflake put in more effort than that!"

Of course, that just made Fudge even more angry and she kicked the girl again.

Lightning raced towards the girl. "Fudge Rossi-Topolino!" he shouted. He knew he'd been told Fudge's real name, but he couldn't remember what it was. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"They won't play with me!" the little girl shrieked.

"We don't wanna play with a baby!" the Mustang informed her.

"Named _Fudge_!" a purple girl Cadillac added.

The kids sounded very superior like they were a lot older than Fudge than they really were. And a lot more important.

"So, you decided to kick this girl?" Lightning gestured to the red-haired girl.

Fudge shrugged.

"All right, Fudge. Say you're sorry."

"Sorry!" Fudge grumbled.

"Like you mean it!" the race car insisted.

"Sorry", Fudge repeated a lot quieter.

She still didn't sound sorry at all, but Lightning nodded. "That's better. Now, come on. Why don't you come and play with me?" He picked her up.

She lit up. "Okay!"

"All right! Let's go!"

* * *

"What are we doing?" Fudge wanted to know as they drove off.

"I don't know", Lightning replied. "What do you wanna do?"

"I want to... I don't know."

For a while, neither of them knew what they wanted to do, so they took a drive around. Fudge just talked about whatever came to her little mind such as her favourite movies and TV shows and stories she'd written. Lightning just listened politely and asked questions. He knew that the last couple of weeks had been difficult on Fudge. Nobody seemed to have time to listen to her lately, but she took that as they didn't _want_ to listen to her.

After a while, the two of them found themselves at Willy's Butte. It was quiet and nobody else was around.

"Are you gonna practise racing?" Fudge wondered.

"It might be a good idea... Why?"

Fudge gave a pout.

"What's wrong?" Lightning wanted to know.

"That's not fair!" Fudge cried.

That's when it clicked in the stock car's head. She was still upset about not being able to go as fast as him. That was it. He didn't want to see her this down any longer.

Lightning looked around. He had to make sure there really was nobody else was around. It didn't seem like there was; everyone was busy with their customers. What about Doc? He was still working on Sheriff and _that_ would take a while. It always did. That just left Mater and Lightning wasn't particularly worried. He knew Mater wouldn't care. Maybe it wasn't the best or the smartest decision, but...

"All right." His voice sank to a whisper. "If we have some fun here, do you promise never to tell anyone what we did?"

"What are we gonna do?"

"Before I tell you, I want you to promise me you won't tell _anyone_. Doc told me _specifically_ that you can't do this!"

Fudge nodded sincerely. "I promise." She was used to Lightning saying stuff like this; like the other week when Lightning had babysat for her at night and let her stay up late, as long as she didn't tell Guido and Luigi.

"All right. You got your magnets, don't you?"

"Yep." She showed him.

"All right. Well, you'll need a helmet too."

"I have a new helmet!" Fudge informed him. "I just started learning how to ride a bike!" She had. Since she was likely leaving town soon, the residents of Radiator Springs got her a bike, so she could learn how to ride to school, like how they'd been told a lot of the humans did in the Wisconsin orphanage.

"Great! Go and get it! And hurry!"

* * *

Fudge raced off and returned about five minutes later, clutching a white helmet.

"Good girl."

"Now, what?" the five-year-old wanted to know.

"Get up on my roof and make sure you _hold on tight_ with your magnets."

Fudge obeyed, a little afraid. Lightning had sounded kind of angry, even though he wasn't really. He just wanted to make sure that they were careful. They weren't supposed to be doing this, so he had to be sure that nothing happened to her.

"What's going on?" the human girl wondered.

Lightning grinned at her. "Do you wanna feel how fast a _real_ race car can go?"

Fudge lit up. " _Really_?!"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah. But listen, Fudge, I'm being serious, _do not tell anyone_! Doc didn't want me to take you."

The little girl nodded seriously. "I promise."

"All right... You ready?"

"Ready!" she sang. She jumped a little when Lightning revved his engine.

"Do you wanna say it?" he offered.

"On your marks... get set... _Go_!"

* * *

It turned out that Fudge wasn't as ready as she thought. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Lightning shot off. That meant that her magnets were deactivated for half a second and she nearly slid off Lightning's roof straight away. Luckily, Lightning wasn't going that fast just yet, so she managed to recover quickly.

That wasn't the only problem. Fudge had never experienced anything this fast before. She wasn't used to going at a high speed. The fastest she'd ever been was on the rollercoasters at Disneyland a couple of weeks earlier. And she was _terrified_.

"You okay?" Lightning wanted to know, sensing that she was a little nervous.

"Yeah!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah!"

"I can stop if you want", he offered.

"No! I don't wanna stop!" Even though Fudge was a little scared, she wanted to feel for herself how fast a _real_ race car could go.

"All right; just let me know if you change your mind."

"I will", she promised.

They kept going for a little while and Fudge found that once she was used to it, the high speed was really fun.

"You having fun?" Lightning asked again at one point.

"Yeah!" Fudge insisted. After a pause, she added, "Hey, Lightning?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you go as fast as you can now please? Just for a little while."

Lightning hesitated for a moment. Was that really a good idea? Probably not, he decided. Although, he'd mastered racing on dirt and had had very few incidents on the track. He couldn't see how having Fudge would make that much of a difference.

"All right, but just for a little while."

"Yay!" Fudge cheered.

"You ready?"

"I'm ready!"

Lightning gunned forward, pushing himself to the max.

"Whoa!" Fudge exclaimed, mentally unprepared for how fast he was going.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah!" Once again, she recovered and was having the time of her life. "This is really fun!"

"Yeah? Are you glad we did this?"

"Yeah!"

"Me too!"

A long time passed. Lightning raced lap after lap and Fudge was absolutely _loving_ it!

"This is so much fun!" the five-year-old declared once again.

"I know! Now, you know why I love it so much!"

"Yeah I do!"

Lightning laughed and slowed down a little. "Well, we should probably stop now", he announced to Fudge's dismay, "but maybe another time, we can-"

He broke off with a gasp. He'd seen something- or rather, _someone_ \- he hadn't expected or wanted to see. One Doc Hudson was parked there with narrow eyes and a face so stiff, it looked like it was going to stay that way. Long story short, he was _mad_!

Lightning came to a stop, horrified. He knew he couldn't pretend that nothing was wrong. There was no question about whether or not Doc had seen what they were doing. He most definitely had.

"Hey! Doc's here!" Fudge, who hadn't noticed anything wrong, called out cheerfully. She waved to the Hudson Hornet. "Hi, Doc!"

Doc waved back slowly, but his expression didn't change.

"Doc-" Lightning began as they approached.

All Doc did was mumble, well... let's just say it was a good thing that Fudge didn't hear what he mumbled. Then he stormed off.

"Doc, wait!" Lightning called out, putting Fudge down and chasing after the older race car while Fudge just stood there in confusion. "Doc, I'm sorry!"

If Doc heard, he didn't answer. He just kept going.

"Doc, will you just listen to me?" Lightning shouted when he caught sight of him going into his garage. "I'm sorry I-"

He was cut off by the sound of the doors slamming shut and the clicks of the locks. The stock car sighed and drove off.

* * *

The day wore on. Doc was very busy and so was everyone else, so nobody had noticed that anything was wrong just yet. Lightning kept Fudge entertained for the rest of the day with a lot more quiet fun like board games.

"What was Doc doing earlier?" Fudge wondered as she rolled the dice.

"What do you mean?" Lightning questioned.

"He came by while we were at Willy's Butte earlier and then he just left."

"Well, I told you he didn't want me taking you racing", the race car reminded her.

The five-year-old's face fell and heart sank. "Is he mad?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah", he admitted. He noticed that Fudge looked afraid, so he added, "But listen. No matter what he says, you didn't do _a_ _nything_ wrong. _I_ was the one who broke the rules, not _you_."

"Okay..." But Fudge didn't look convinced.

Lightning felt sorry for her later that evening when everyone was gathered at Flo's and he suggested that they did the same.

"What if Doc's mad at me?" she asked with a white face. She was even _shaking_ and was dangerously close to tears!

"It's all right", the race car assured her, giving her a hug. "I'll talk to Doc."

She nodded. "Okay."

Reluctantly, Fudge walked over to Flo's, clinging to Lightning the whole time. If there was one thing that she couldn't stand, it was having people mad at her. Everyone saw how upset she got when someone yelled at her and when Doc hit her was the worst thing she could possibly imagine. She wondered whether Doc would hit her again. The thought made her start bawling.

Lightning gave her a hug. "It's gonna be all right", he assured her soothingly.

They'd arrived at Flo's and Fudge's heart rate went up, especially when she caught a glimpse of Doc.

Upon their arrival, the Hudson Hornet glanced up and his once-casual appearance shifted to one of anger alarmingly fast.

"And what do you two have to say for yourselves?!" he demanded.

Fudge hid behind Lightning and cried harder.

"Fudgie!" Luigi exclaimed, concerned. He tried to go to her, but Doc gestured for him to stay where he was.

"Doc", the stock car began, "I know you're mad at me and I don't blame you-"

"I would hope not!" Doc cut in. "With what you did!"

"-but don't get mad at Fudge!" Lightning rushed on as if the older race car hadn't said anything. "This was my fault!"

"Damn right it was!" Doc growled.

"What's going on?" everyone wondered.

"I _told_ Lightnin' not to take Fudge out racin' and he did it anyway!"

Luigi's brown eyes flashed with anger. "You took Fudge out racing?!"

"Just a couple of laps!" Lightning cried defensively.

"A couple of laps too many!" Doc insisted.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry!"

"Then why _d_ _id_ you do it?!" Doc demanded.

"Look, Fudge was really upset and I just wanted to cheer her up. Is that such a bad thing?"

" _Yes_! It _is_ a bad thing!" Luigi insisted. "What would we be supposed to do if something happened to her? She could have been seriously hurt!"

"I know, I know and I'm sorry", Lightning repeated. "I won't take her out again, but I _will_ say that you should've seen her face when I took her."

Luigi's expression softened slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah! She seemed to really have fun!"

"It really _was_ fun!" Fudge chimed in.

Luigi couldn't help smiling. "Was it?"

"Yeah! I've never been that fast before! It was a little scary at first, but I had a _l_ _ot_ of fun!" Fudge confirmed.

"And it's not like I just went out there with her", Lightning added, knowing that Luigi was beginning to soften. "I made sure she had her magnets and she was wearing a helmet."

The Fiat thought for a moment. "Well, maybe it is not such a bad thing..."

"Of course it's a bad thing, Luigi!" Doc shouted. "You even said so yourself a minute ago! Racin' is very dangerous! Take it from me!"

"I know, but it does seem like McQueen _was_ taking care of her..."

"Well, it's only gonna take one incident for him to be unable to take care of her!" Doc argued. "What are you gonna do when somethin' happens to Fudge?"

"Doc, Doc! I know you're right, but will you please just see the look on Fudge's face when I take her out?"

"Is a happy look on Fudge's face really worth risking her life over?"

"But I wanna race!" Fudge piped up. "Remember how I told you I wanted to be one of those human crew chiefs who ride around with the racer?"

Nobody, not even Doc, said anything.

"Come on, Doc! This is her dream!" McQueen pushed on. "She's gotta start somewhere! I mean, _you_ had to start somewhere, didn't you, Doc?"

Flo's was silent for a very long time.

Finally, the Hudson Hornet looked at Fudge. "Are you _sure_ this is what you wanna do?"

The human girl nodded eagerly.

"Will you just come and watch her?" Lightning repeated, which was followed by even more silence.

Doc sighed and shook his hood. "Boy, you could talk a snowmobile into an air conditioner", he grumbled, but a faint smile was spreading across his lips.

Lightning grinned.

* * *

Lightning decided to wait until morning to take Fudge out since it was getting dark and he didn't have headlights (proving to Doc that he was being careful!). However, in the morning, after their usual routine, the entire town gathered at Willy's Butte. All of them were pretty nervous. They sure didn't want to see anything awful happen to Fudge.

"I still don't know about this, hot shot", Doc commented to his protégé.

"She'll be fine, Doc."

"I don't know..." Doc repeated.

The little girl had her helmet and magnets on and was excited to go out again.

"You ready?" Lightning quizzed her. He looked as nervous as everyone else.

She nodded. "Yeah!"

"Climb on."

Fudge crawled onto his roof and attached her magnets.

"Luigi?"

Luigi had his Ferrari flag with him and called out in a shaky voice, "On your mark, get set... I can't believe it... Go!"

Lightning knew what to do. He shot off like a bullet from a gun. A huge grin spread across Fudge's face; not that anybody saw it with how fast Lightning was going.

"Why isn't anybody cheering?" Fudge wondered.

"What?"

"Normally, everyone cheers when you race, but nobody is."

"Well, I think they're just a little bit worried about you, Fudge. This is the first time they've seen you do this and they don't want anything to happen to you."

"Oh. Okay."

Lightning did a couple more laps before Fudge requested gleefully, "Faster! Faster!"

"All right! You wanna go faster?"

"Yeah!"

"Hold on..."

As the race car picked up speed, Fudge's laughter rung out over Willy's Butte. However, it didn't take long to be replaced with a loud scream! It all happened so fast. Fudge's magnets had somehow come loose and she had tumbled off his roof! As if things weren't bad enough, before she could hit the ground, he clipped her hard, sending her flying. She hit the ground hard, rolling a couple of times. Lightning had seen what had happened, but it was all so fast that he didn't have time to fully comprehend it, let alone react. He didn't have time to stop. He was unable to prevent himself from running her over and-

* * *

Wait! That wasn't what happened! Not that last part! She didn't fall off his roof. He didn't clip her or run her over. That wouldn't happen until tonight, six and a half years later. Now that it had happened, Lightning couldn't get the images out of his head.

Lightning McQueen had been pacing back and forth in the hospital lounge, crying his eyes out, wanting to hear news on Fudge's condition. Yet he never did for two reasons. One, Fudge was still in surgery. And two, the doctors would only talk to family. All he could do was wait. He sure hoped that the others would arrive soon. He'd called Sally nearly three hours ago; they should be there soon. At least their presence would make waiting a little more bearable.

God! He just couldn't believe that he'd actually _done_ this to Fudge! _His little sister!_ This was the worst thing he'd ever done! He'd known the risks all along, but he never _ever_ thought that it would really happen. Doc was right. His words echoed in Lightning's mind.

" _If somethin' happened to her- and it_ will _; if you were to keep takin' her, it would only be a matter of time- I would never be able to forgive myself and neither would you."_

Doc had been right all along. He never should've taken her racing in the first place. What had made him _ever_ think that it was a good idea? When Lightning remembered what really happened when he finished those last laps at Willy's Butte, he couldn't help thinking that if the moment that had done so had never had happened, then what happened tonight would never have happened either...

* * *

Lightning ran a couple of laps at his top speed before Doc signalled him to come back.

"How was that, kiddo?" the old Hudson Hornet quizzed Fudge.

She flashed him a huge grin. "That was _awesome_!"

"Yeah? You liked that?"

"Yeah! I got to go as fast as Lightning!"

"Yeah. It's great, isn't it?" Lightning grinned.

Fudge nodded. "So", she began hopefully, looking at Doc and her fathers, "can I do that again?"

Doc gave her a soft smile. "I think you'll make a great human crew chief one day, Fudge-O."

Fudge looked around at the others, unsure of what Doc was saying.

"He's saying yes, Fudge-O", Lightning informed her with a laugh.

"Yay!" she cheered.

"Just as long as McQueen looks after you", Luigi added. "And we know he will."

* * *

Except he couldn't and that was why he was bawling his eyes out at a hospital, unable to stop shaking or worrying about Fudge with nearly everyone in the lounge staring at him. He just assumed it was because they were all curious as to what _the_ Lightning McQueen was doing there and what had brought him to tears.

Thank Chrysler! The others had just arrived. As Lightning had guessed, all of them, especially Luigi and Guido, were hysterical as they practically flew up to reception.

"Well, your daughter's still in surgery at the moment", the receptionist informed them, "so why don't you have a seat and a doctor will come and see you as soon as possible."

Sheriff nodded. "Okay. Thanks." He struggled to usher Luigi and Guido away.

" **WHAT HAVE YOU _DONE_?!**" Luigi exploded, glaring at Lightning.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I am so sorry!" a sobbing Lightning repeated over and over again.

Normally, Lightning McQueen loved the thrill of speed and all he had wanted to do was share said love of speed with someone who he cared about a _lot_. Though, it had just ended up hurting her. That night, for the first time in his life, he felt like going as fast as lightning wasn't so great after all.

 **The End**

 **So, in case it wasn't clear, this is Lightning remembering taking Fudge out racing for the first time on the night of the accident in _Ride_. He can't stop thinking about the accident, so he sees the images in his head while remembering the first time. Does that make sense? I hope so.**

 **I didn't really have many ideas for this one, especially when it came to the end and they could trust Lightning to take her, so this was all I had.**

 **And hey! You got a _very_ brief little preview of _Ride_! I haven't forgotten about it. I'm just using a friend's OC in the next chapter and they've asked if I could wait until their story is ready to publish before continuing and I said I would. If it makes you feel any better, they only have to create the summary!**

 **I have a couple more one-shots and short stories planned. Some of the same stuff from the original collection and some new stuff too. But please review if you want to see this continued. I haven't been getting an awful lot and want to make sure you guys are still interested. If you're not, I won't post any more.**


	4. Home for Christmas

**First things first: a quick response to a guest review. To the guest who suggested that I wrote a fic about Fudge bonding with Francesco, thanks for the idea. It was a very good one and I promise I'll write it if I get some ideas for it.**

 **Okay. Hi, guys! Here is my Christmas special for** ** _Tales From Radiator Springs_** **! I didn't particularly love this one first time around, but I still didn't have any ideas on how to improve it here, so... yeah... Although, I have added Sammy to it.**

 **Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy it! Even though the plot's kinda cliché, but whatever. This takes place about a year and a half after** ** _Cars 2_ and two weeks before _Ride_** **, so Finn, Holley and Sammy are in it, though they don't play a big part and that makes Fudge twelve years old (she's also not central to this story like in other fics, but she's still in this one).**

 **Home for Christmas**

"Anybody have any candy canes left?"

"Hey! Quit hoggin' the ornaments!"

"Yeah, leave some for the rest of us!"

"Where do you want this tinsel?!"

"We need more blue over here!"

"I don't believe this tree is going to stay up much longer!"

That last voice had been British spy, Finn McMissile, who was struggling to hold the unstable tree up. Half a second later, the Christmas tree toppled over right on top of him! **(AN: Shout out to Agent Sandra Cartrip; we're trying to make Finn having accidents involving trees a running gag! XD)**

A twelve-year-old human girl by the name of Fudge rushed over to Finn, struggling to hide her giggles. Next to her, Mater did the same. "Are you all right, Finn?"

"I'm quite all right", he assured the human. "But would you mind helping get this tree off of me?"

"Sure." With the help of Sammy, Mater, Guido and Red, Fudge and Finn were able to lift the tree up.

"What _is_ it with you and trees, Finn?" Fudge wondered.

"You don't even know the half of it!" Sammy groaned.

"Dad-gum!" Mater sighed in disappointment, staring at the Christmas tree and all of the decorations that were scattered on the ground. "Now, we gotta start over again!"

"Yeah, that was a massive waste of an hour", Sarge grumbled.

"Oh, well!" Fudge shrugged, refusing to wipe the big smile off her face, even though she was exhausted. She wasn't very tall, so she'd been hopping on and off a stool to reach the branches for the hour that had been spent decorating the tree (which wasn't fair when Sammy was using a jet pack!) "We can have more fun doing it again!"

Fudge (and everyone else, for that matter) thought that this would be enough to cheer Mater up, but, instead, the tow truck sighed again.

"Yeah, well, I'd have even _more_ fun if my best friend, Lightnin' McQueen was here to help put up the tree."

It was December twenty-third, or Christmas Eve Eve, as Fudge called it, and Lightning McQueen, the famous race car and resident of Radiator Springs, was the only one absent from the tree decorating. Why?

* * *

It all started just under a week ago on December eighteenth. Lightning had been travelling across the world to visit his racing buddies from the World Grand Prix. He hadn't told anybody exactly when he'd be back. Just that he'd be back "soon". The others grew more and more worried as it grew closer and closer to Christmas. There was no way Lightning would spend Christmas anywhere but Radiator Springs... Was there?

Luckily, Lightning had called the night before. He had been in Italy visiting Francesco Bernoulli and he would be returning to Radiator Springs the following day. _With_ Francesco. It turned out the Italian race car had nowhere to go for the holidays (apparently, his mama had something else going on; nobody knew what and it was probably none of their business, anyway) and so, Lightning had invited him to Radiator Springs, which everyone else agreed was very nice of Lightning. While Francesco was still cocky and annoying, they had to admit that he was nowhere near as bad as he used to be. In fact, they thought it would be kinda fun to see him again. Plus, Finn, Holley and Sammy had also been invited to spend the holidays with them and the more, the merrier.

As everyone went around their stores, pulling out their Christmas decorations, nobody could help but notice that Mater was off by himself, feeling very upset. And it didn't take a genius to figure out why.

"Lightnin' shouldn't be too far off now, Mater", Sheriff reminded him. "He should be here tonight."

"Yeah, but maybe we should save decorating the tree till he gets back", Sally suggested.

"Good idea!" Fudge agreed.

"Anybody want a warm can of oil while we wait?" Flo offered.

"Oh, oh!" Fudge yelled jokingly, waving her hand in the air. "Me, me!"

Flo smiled. "You can't _have_ oil, Fudge. But whaddaya say I get you some cocoa?"

"With marshmallows?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Make that two please, Flo", Sammy chimed in.

"Two cocoas comin' up!"

And with that, Flo rolled off inside the café.

Taking a break from the decorating, everyone just sat around Flo's, sipping cans of oil (or cocoa _with marshmallows_ , in Fudge and Sammy's case). Mater had insisted on putting the radio on to listen to them play Christmas carols. Had he not done that, they might not have found out what they did.

" _And now for the weather_ ", a voice crackled over the old radio during a break from all of the music. " _For those of you dreaming of a white Christmas, well, you're in luck. It sure looks_ _like_ _this is going to be Arizona's snowiest winter on record. I swear! Nobody's seen_ anything _like_ _this! In fact, we've seen hundreds of flights being cancelled or rerouted due to the_ _extreme_ _conditions_!"

Everyone glanced at each other uncertainly. Nervously. Lightning was supposed to be coming home for Christmas. Now, it seemed like he'd never make it.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ there's nothing you can do?!" Lightning demanded, the timid dark blue forklift behind the desk jumping at his raised voice. **(AN: A head-canon of mine is that, having arms, forklifts in the car world have to do a lot of work, meaning that they get bossed around a lot, so, as a group, forklifts are a very timid bunch. Of course, there are exceptions like Guido, but still.)**

"I'm sorry, Mr. McQueen", she responded quietly. "Your flight has been cancelled because of the heavy snowfall. We don't know when flights to Ornament Valley will resume again."

"But it's only a week until _Christmas_!" Lightning protested. "My family's gonna be wondering where I am! I don't wanna spend the holidays without them."

The forklift just shrugged. "Sorry", she repeated sheepishly. "I understand that, but there's nothing I can do."

Lightning sighed and muttered a thank you for her time before returning to Francesco.

"What did she-a say?!" Francesco quizzed him anxiously.

Lightning just shook his hood and Francesco slumped lower on his tyres.

The two of them were at JFK Airport in New York City. They had just flown there from Porto Corsa, Italy, only to learn that their flight from there to Ornament Valley had been cancelled. Now, they had no idea what to do.

"Do you think your-a driver can pick us up?" Francesco suggested.

"Mack?" Lightning asked. He paused, deep in thought. "I don't know, but I can _try_."

Lightning had to go to the nearest phone booth to call Mack (his phone was out of battery and the charger was deep in his luggage).

"Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up!" he whispered to himself nervously.

"Hello?" came that familiar voice.

"Mack!" Lightning exclaimed.

"Hey, boss! Where are you?"

"New York. Our flight got cancelled."

"Gee, that's rough", Mack sympathised. "What are you gonna do?"

"Well, that's where _you_ come in..."

Right away, Mack knew where he was going with this. "You want me to come get you?"

" _Yes_!" Lightning shouted. " _Yes_! Thank you so much! I-"

"Sorry, boss", Mack cut him off. "I don't think that's possible."

Lightning couldn't believe it. "What?! Why not?!"

"Weather's pretty bad here", he reported. "I'm guessin' that's why your flight was cancelled. Arizona's got a lot of snow, all the major highways are closed... I'm sorry. But there's just no way."

Lightning sighed. He was too frustrated to say goodbye and hung up.

"I assume-a that was a no?" Francesco sighed.

Lightning nodded. "Yeah... Now, what?"

"I think we have to spend-a Christmas here."

" _What_?!" Lightning sounded like that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "No! We are gonna get back to Radiator Springs for Christmas one way or another!"

"What are you going to do?" Francesco wondered. " _Drive_ there?! In all of that snow?" He gestured outside.

Lightning's face hardened into a glare of determination. "If that's the only way I'm getting home, then yes."

* * *

"Are you okay, Mater?" Fudge questioned, concerned as she gathered up the biggest ball of snow she could.

The tow truck nodded uncertainly. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine..."

"Just miss Lightning, do you?" she guessed, only it wasn't a guess. It was a know.

He nodded again. "Yeah... It ain't gonna be Christmas without 'im. D'ya think he'll make it in time for Christmas?"

Fudge shrugged. "You never know." Honestly, she wasn't sure. With all of the flights cancelled and major highways shut, the human girl knew that it didn't seem likely that the car she saw as a brother could return for the big day. Still, Lightning's arrival into town and his ability to put it back on the map taught her to believe in miracles. And being mistaken for a spy and saving the world taught her that anything was possible.

"You really think so?" Mater asked hopefully.

"I don't know that he _will_ ", Fudge explained. "I'm just saying that he _might_."

"Well, that's better than nothin', right?"

Fudge smiled. "It sure is."

"So, what is _you_ doin'?" Mater wanted to know.

"I was gonna build a snowman. You wanna come help?"

Mater grinned at her. "All right!"

"So, I'm gonna need your help rolling the snow into big balls..."

* * *

"How are you planning on-a getting home?" Francesco wondered as they rolled slowly through the snow and ice-covered roads. "All of the major highways are closed."

"I didn't say we were going to take the highways", Lightning reminded him. "We'll go through towns, on regular roads. I'm sure it won't be that hard to get to Radiator Springs that way."

"There is-a no way we will get there!" the Italian racer insisted.

"Well, we have to try!"

"You are crazy, McQueen!"

"Oh, so, I'm crazy for wanting to spend Christmas with my family?"

Francesco shut up after that.

"Let's try and figure out where we need to go..." He got out his phone, which he'd been able to charge at the airport while Francesco was freaking out about driving all the way from New York to Arizona. "Dammit! No service!"

"Now, what?" Francesco wondered fearfully.

"Now... we drive."

The Italian formula car looked ready to protest, but Lightning was too far gone up the road. He had no choice but to follow.

* * *

"Hi!" Fudge called, approaching Flo's, arms loaded with shopping bags.

Luigi and Guido were right behind her, also weighed down by shopping bags.

"Where've you been?" Sarge wanted to know.

"Ashgrove", all three of them responded in unison.

"Finishing up our Christmas shopping", Fudge added. "So, don't look inside the bags."

Everyone chuckled. "All right", they agreed.

"The only thing I want for Christmas ain't gonna be in those bags", Mater remarked in a downcast tone that sounded so unlike Mater. He hadn't been himself these past few days. Fudge, against better judgement, had even suggested that they went tractor tipping. He just gave her a deadpanned, "Nah." So, Fudge knew that he was really upset.

"Still worried about Lightning?" Sally asked the tow truck.

He nodded. "Yeah..."

She sighed. "Me too."

"He hasn't called you or anything?" Fudge questioned.

Sally shook her hood. "Nothing."

"Christmas is only a couple of days away", Holley pointed out. "Where could he _be_?"

"Do we even know if he _got_ to New York?" Ramone asked.

"No", Sally replied. "We don't know."

"And he was in Italy before, am I correct?" Finn wanted to confirm.

"That's right. He was staying with Francesco and his mother."

"Francesco still lives with his mother?" Holley asked in surprise.

"Yeah, didn't you know he was a mama's boy?" Sammy laughed.

"Holley! Sammy!" were Finn's only words, but his tone meant, _Focus_!

"Sorry", Holley apologised before turning back to the RS gang. "Well, do you think we can ask her if they left? She'd probably know."

"We don't know her phone number", Sally answered dully.

"Or if she even _has_ a phone", Sarge put in.

"Or _where_ she _is_ ", Sally added. "I think she was going away or something. I think Stickers said she couldn't spend the holidays with Francesco."

Everyone sighed, wondering what they could do.

"What about flight information?" Fudge suggested after a moment.

The others stared at her, unable to believe that they didn't think of that.

"Fudge! You're _brilliant_!" Finn exclaimed.

Fudge giggled, her face turning slightly red.

"He texted me his flight information right before he got on the plane!" Sally announced, hurrying off to the Cozy Cone to fetch her phone.

"Here it is!" she announced two minutes later, returning with the flight details. "Flight A113 to New York, arriving at 2:45 pm at Gate 17."

Holley searched up the flight. "I think this is it!" She paused. "Yep. It landed", she confirmed.

"Then where could he be?" Sally wondered.

* * *

"Francesco! Look!" Lightning exclaimed, sounding like a person stranded in the middle of the desert coming across water.

"A sign!" Francesco sighed with relief. "Does it-a say where we are?"

"I think so!" Lightning answered. "Looks like it's another state line!" He moved closer to the sign and read it. "Ohio!" He hugged Francesco. "Ohio! I never thought I'd be so glad to be in Ohio!"

"Are we nearly there?" Francesco asked hopefully, not knowing much about the geographic location of each of the American states.

"We still got a long way to go", Lightning admitted. "But we're making great progress."

Meanwhile, Francesco was distracted by something else. "Do you hear something?"

Lightning listened. He could hear people talking and laughing. He could also see headlights.

"Maybe they could help us", he suggested.

Francesco nodded. "That is exactly what Francesco was-a thinking."

"Oh, my gosh!" a voice squealed. "Is that... It _is_! It's _Lightning McQueen_!"

"And Francesco Bernoulli!" another added.

"They are _so_ hot!" a third voice chimed in.

"Shut up, Sarah!" a fourth voice, this one male, snapped. "You _have_ a boyfriend!"

"Yeah, back off, Sarah!" the second voice shouted. "Francesco's _mine!_ "

"And McQueen's mine!" That was the first voice.

When they got closer, Lightning and Francesco could see that there were six of them. A dark blue pickup truck, a black Mini Cooper, a grey Mustang GT, a silver Porsche and two humans- a male and a female- riding in the truck bed of the pickup truck.

"Hi, guys!" Lightning greeted them casually, only for the Porsche to scream.

"I can't believe it!" she gasped. "Lightning McQueen _spoke_ to _me_! This is, like, _so cool_!" She glared at the Mini. "And he likes _Porsches_! I hear his girlfriend is one! There's nothing to say Francesco likes Minis!"

The Mini made a face. "Shut up, Courtney!"

"I can't believe you're here!" the human woman remarked, brushing some snow out of her long, jet-black hair. "It's so cool! You two are so cool and I-"

"Sarah!" the human man beside her hissed. "Have you completely forgotten that we have been dating for _six years_!"

Lightning chuckled, clearly used to this kind of thing. "Some things never change."

"You know, it's hard out here", the pickup truck commented. "Driving through the snow, travelling thousands of miles, trying to get home."

"Yeah", Lightning agreed.

All of a sudden, he grinned. "Well, not us! We live right around the corner!"

He and the other two guys- the human and the Mustang- burst out laughing.

"You're _crazy_!" the Mustang declared. "Driving across the whole damn country in _this_ weather!"

"Yeah, you'll be dead before you reach your destination!" the human added.

"Hey! They're the two best racers in the whole world!" the Mini shouted. "They can handle anything!"

"Come on, Jess!" the truck laughed. "I think we _all_ know they're gonna die out there!"

Lightning groaned. "We don't have _time_ for this!" He turned to Francesco. "Let's go!"

So, they left, continuing on for the many miles they had to go. These people had slowed them down quite a bit, but Lightning was not giving up until he was home.

* * *

"Another Lightning-less day", Fudge sighed as the townsfolk all gathered at Flo's late one night. "It just doesn't seem right!"

Not only was Lightning still absent, but the fact that he was made everyone unwilling to get into the Christmas spirit. Nobody switched the neon lights on. That sucked, Fudge thought because with snow falling and the rainbow lights on, Radiator Springs truly looked like a winter wonderland.

Still, there was no way that Christmas would be the same without Lightning McQueen.

"I know", Sally agreed. "But there's nothing we can do." She, too, sighed. "I just hope he's okay."

"Me too", almost everyone chorused.

"Where do you think he is?" Fudge quizzed the others.

"Fudge, we've been through this", Sheriff reminded her not unkindly. "We don't _know_."

She nodded, staring at her hands. "Well, what are we gonna do for Christmas if he's not here?"

That was one question that nobody could answer.

* * *

"Where are we?" Francesco wondered.

"I... I don't know", Lightning admitted.

"So... where do we go?"

"I don't know", Lightning repeated.

"This is-a hopeless!" Francesco moaned.

"You said it!" Lightning groaned.

"Maybe we should-a ask someone for help", Francesco suggested.

"Yeah, but _who_?!" Lightning asked. "I haven't seen another car all day!"

"Well, if we see one..."

"We're not", Lightning sighed. "We're stuck out here! We're _never_ gonna get home for Christmas!"

"So, what do we do now?" Francesco questioned.

Another sigh came from the American race car. "Keep driving, I guess. Not a lot else we can do."

So, they did. Neither of them was prepared for what was about to happen.

"I think there is a sign up ahead!" Francesco cried eagerly. He floored it and sped towards the sign.

"Francesco, _no_!"

It was too late. Francesco slipped on some ice on the road and started spinning out of control.

"Francesco!" Lightning shouted.

But there was nothing Lightning could do. Francesco smashed straight into a pole!

"No!"

The Italian formula car had several dents and scratches, but it didn't look _that_ serious. Lightning rolled closer as fast as he dared to go.

"Francesco! Are you okay?!"

The formula car groaned, his features scrunched up in pain. "No... I mean... _si_... I mean..."

"It hurts, but you'll live?"

Francesco opened his eyes and stared at Lightning. " _Si_. That is exactly how Francesco feels."

"Do you think you can drive?"

Francesco started up his engine and drove slowly for about five seconds before stopping and wincing in agony. "Francesco doesn't think so."

Lightning groaned. _Now what?_

* * *

Now, we find ourselves back where our story began.

"I can't believe we're putting the tree up without Lightning!" Fudge groaned, untangling the tinsel from the tree that had just been placed back upright.

"Well, we can always save the star for when he gets here", Sally assured her. "He's not gonna wanna miss that."

" _If_ he gets here", Sarge corrected.

"Think positive, man!" Fillmore instructed.

" _I'm_ being _realistic_!" Sarge countered.

"Well, tomorrow's Christmas _Eve_!" Fudge reminded the group. "I thought he'd be here by now!"

Luigi gave her a hug. "We _all_ did."

"Christmas ain't gonna be Christmas without my best friend", Mater declared sadly.

" _Tell_ me about it!" Fudge agreed. She turned to Finn and Sammy with a smile. "I wish you put a tracking device on him." She knew from personal experience that CHROME had tracking devices.

Finn chuckled, but his only comment was, "The blizzard would probably interfere with the signal anyway."

"This is supposed to be the greatest time of the year!" Sally sighed. "I just can't believe he's not gonna be here."

"Me neither", everyone else agreed.

"D'ya think he's okay?" Mater quizzed the group anxiously.

"I don't know", everyone replied.

"I hope so", Sally added.

With heavy hearts, the cars and human returned to the decorating.

But not Mater. He reversed away from Flo's and began driving up the road to the town.

"Where are you going?!" Fudge called after him.

"I gotta find my best friend!"

"Have you lost your mind?!" Sheriff shouted at the tow truck. "How do you expect to find him? He could be _anywhere_!"

"I know, I know! It don't seem likely that I'm gonna find 'im", he admitted. "But McQueen's my _best friend_! I don't wanna spend Christmas without 'im! I gotta try!"

"Mater!" Holley took off after him and Sammy and Finn followed her. "We can't let you go out there alone! We're coming with you!"

Everyone seemed a little more comfortable with letting Mater go with the spies going too. So, reluctantly, they let the four of them go off in search of Lightning McQueen.

"Holley", Finn whispered to her as they drove along, "I highly doubt that we're going to find McQueen."

"I know", she agreed. "But it's important to Mater. I couldn't let him do this by himself."

They just hoped that Mater wouldn't be too disappointed when they didn't find him.

* * *

It started snowing again as night fell. Lightning was struggling to see clearly, making it all the more challenging to drive.

After Francesco crashed, Lightning decided to keep going in order to see if he could find help for the Italian formula car. If he got to a certain point and didn't have any luck, he'd just turn around and come back.

And it didn't look like he was gonna have any luck. He found himself slowing down.

"Great!" he groaned, realising what had happened. He was outta gas!

How did this happen? When was the last time he filled up? It was in... Was it Pennsylvania? Or Ohio? Or... Did it _matter_? Was it gonna help him _now_? No. No, it wasn't. What was he supposed to do _now_? Now, he couldn't even make it back to Francesco!

"Francesco was right!" Lightning moaned. "This _is_ hopeless!"

For the first time in a long time, he felt exhausted. For the first time in a long time, he felt like crying. But he didn't. He just parked there, unsure of how much time past before he passed out.

* * *

"Mater, we've been driving for _hours_!" Holley reminded the tow truck. She sounded exhausted.

"Yeah, and we haven't seen a single person!" Sammy added.

"I think we should start heading back to Radiator Springs", Finn voiced his opinion.

But Mater didn't seem to be listening. "We gotta keep going... I gotta find my best friend!" Then he stopped abruptly. "Wait! I think I see something!"

"Where?" Finn demanded.

"Right there!" Mater pointed with a tyre.

"I see a car too!" Holley announced.

The four rolled forward as fast as they could in the heavy snow.

"Finn! Holley! Sammy! Look!" Mater exclaimed. "It's Lightnin' McQueen!"

Lightning had no idea how long he'd been out. He just remembered that he woke up to the sound of a familiar voice, shouting, "It's Lightnin' McQueen!"

His blue eyes shot open and widened to the point of nearly bulging right out of his windshield.

"Mater?" he gasped.

"Hey there, buddy!" Mater shouted right in his best friend's face.

"Mater? What are you doing here?"

"We was lookin' for ya, buddy! Everyone back in town done said we wasn't gonna find ya! But they was wrong! You is here, buddy!"

Lightning chuckled. "Yes I am, Mater."

"Wait." Mater looked around. "Where's Mr. San Francisco?"

"He's back that way." Lightning gestured with a tyre. "He crashed and so, I was seeing if I could find help and I ran out of gas."

"So... ya _both_ need a tow?" Mater asked.

Lightning nodded. "Yeah."

"But I can't tow both of ya at the same time!" Mater exclaimed. He looked around at his friends. "What is we gonna do?"

Finn smiled. "Leave that to me. You just hook McQueen up, Mater."

Mater lit up as he watched Finn drive off. "You got it, Finn!" He swung his tow hook around and latched it on Lightning.

Ten seconds later, they heard an Italian accent, sobbing and yelling in their native language. Two seconds after _that_ , Finn emerged, using his grappling hooks to tow a _very_ emotional Francesco.

"McQueen!" Francesco babbled. "Your friends! They have-a saved us! It is a Christmas miracle!"

Lightning smiled as Mater towed him off in the direction of Radiator Springs. "Yeah. That, it is."

* * *

" _With intense snowfall all around the country, most of the major highways remain closed_. _Most of the airports have not resumed flights yet either with the largest number of_ _cancellations we have seen in a_ -"

Sally sighed and switched off the radio. It was late on Christmas Eve and Mater and the spies hadn't returned the night before.

"He's not coming, is he?" Fudge murmured.

The Porsche sighed again. "I don't think so."

"And now, Mater's gone!" Sheriff groaned.

"I would've thought Finn and Holley would've convinced him to turn around and come back by now", Sarge added.

"Well, you know what Mater's like when he sets his heart on something", Sally reminded him.

Nobody could hide a small smile. That was true.

"So... what are we gonna do?" Fudge wanted to know.

"Just... all the usual Christmas stuff we always do..." Sally responded. "Except without Lightning."

"It won't be the same, though", Flo remarked, handing out hot drinks to everyone.

"No", Fudge agreed. "It won't... It's bad enough not having Doc here for the holidays."

The group all lowered their hoods.

"Sorry", Fudge murmured.

"No, no", Luigi assured her. "It is okay, Fudge. You are right."

"I _know_! But that doesn't mean I just have to go around, pointing it out and making everyone feel worse than they already-" She stopped suddenly, seemingly in disbelief.

"What?!" everyone demanded. "What?!"

They all looked where Fudge was. And it was _their_ turn to gasp.

Everyone except Sally, that is.

"What?" she asked the others.

"Did you miss me?" a voice directly behind her whispered.

Well, Sally nearly had an engine attack when she heard that voice. She turned around slowly to face the speaker.

" _Stickers_?!"

"We found 'im, Miss Sally!" Mater exclaimed proudly. " _And_ Mr. San Francisco!"

The RS gang looked past Mater and Lightning to see Finn towing the Italian formula car. "Hey, Francesco", they greeted him casually.

Then they all launched question after question at Lightning.

"Where have you been?"

"Are you okay?"

"You travelled across the whole country just to be here for Christmas?"

"Are you insane?"

Lightning got himself filled up with gas as he answered all of their questions (while Ramone fixed up Francesco). He grinned at the last question. "Maybe I _am_ insane. All I know is that I just had to get back for Christmas."

Fudge grinned. "And it's a good thing you did!"

Lightning looked at her, puzzled. He recognised the look on her face. "Why's that?"

"Two reasons! First of all, we can put the star on the tree now-"

"Oh, that's right!" Sally exclaimed. "Let's do that now!"

"Can I do the honours?!" Fudge requested eagerly. " _Please_?! I've never gotten to do it before!"

"How are you going to get up there, Fudge?" Ramone wondered.

"Can I have the star?"

Sally handed it over.

Fudge produced a pen from her pocket. However, when she clicked it, it transformed into a hover board!

Everyone laughed. They'd forgotten Sammy had let her keep the hover board she used in London once she'd recovered from her broken leg.

"Go ahead!" they all instructed her.

With great glee, Fudge shot off on her hover board to the top of the tree and placed the star where it belonged.

"It's beautiful!" everyone proclaimed at once, admiring the gorgeous tree.

"Okay, Fudge-O. What was the other reason?" Lightning wanted to know. He was suspicious of the fact that she had her hands behind her back.

"Because I really wanted to do _this_!"

Before Lightning had a chance to react, Fudge hurled a snowball at him from close range (Fudge was so uncoordinated and had such lousy aim that she made sure she was going to hit him).

Splat! The snowball got him right in the windshield.

"Hey!" Lightning protested.

"Ha, ha!" the twelve-year-old human girl jeered, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Oh." He glared at her. "You're gonna _pay_!"

He began making a snowball of his own, but Fudge got out of the way, ducking behind Red.

Lightning got ready to throw the snowball, but glanced around, confused. "Where did she go?"

Fudge tried to remain silent, but unfortunately, her giggling gave her location away.

"I got you now, Fudge Rossi-Topolino!" Lightning announced.

But she leapt up and ran away. Lightning chased after her and chucked his weapon. However, it didn't hit Fudge. She jumped out of the way at the last minute, causing the snowball to hit Sheriff instead!

All around Flo's came a round of cars and two humans going, " _Oooooohhhh_!"

Sheriff just gave Lightning a hard glare. "Boy", he declared, "you're in a _heap_ of trouble."

Without warning, he created a snowball of his own and launched it at the race car!

Everyone burst out laughing.

"Oh, it's on _now_!" Lightning declared, grinning.

* * *

Forget snowball _fights_. Hours later, the RS gang were engaged in a full-on snowball _war_. There were no sides. Everyone pretty much just went for whoever they could. Sammy even had some kind of hi-tech slingshot, which she used to launch snowballs in every direction.

All of a sudden, Fudge stopped in the middle of all of the screaming and laughing to check her watch. It was after midnight. That meant... It was Christmas _Day_! She stared up at the night sky. There were stars everywhere and the snow was falling softly all around her. The store neon lights were all still on, lighting up the whole town as well. It was like magic.

But Fudge was brought back to Earth by a snowball hitting her in the side of her head.

"Wake up, Fudge!" Lightning called, laughing.

"Shut up!" Fudge yelled at him, scooping up more snow to fire at him.

But before she could throw it, someone got _her_ instead. She could tell by the hysterical laughter that it was Mater.

"Look at all the snow ya got in yer hair!" the tow truck managed to get out between his laughs. "That's funny right there!"

"You _do_ look pretty funny!" Lightning agreed.

Fudge just smirked and brushed the snow out of her hair. She was just so happy. It was Christmas. Lightning was here and they were all having fun. Everything seemed to be right where it should be.

 **I hope you'll forgive me for this one. I really wanted to write it, despite having little to no ideas for it. I just feel it went nowhere for ages and then just had a happy ending. But here it is nonetheless.**

 **By the way, this was the Christmas that took place only a couple of weeks before the events of _Ride_ , so... the happy mood ain't gonna last.**

 **And on that cheerful note, I'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate and a happy New Year. Also, Christmas is double special because... someone has a birthday! *Wink, wink, nudge, nudge* Reviews would make a great Christmas/birthday present.**


	5. First Dates

**Hey, everyone! How's 2019 treating you so far? Good? I hope so.**

 **Those who have been paying attention may have noticed that today is January sixth, which is the day Fudge has her accident in _Ride_. I'd been hoping to update that story for the occasion, but as I've said, I promised a friend I'd wait and I don't intend to break that promise. So, I'm updating this one instead.**

 **I started this one a long time ago and it took me a long time to get done too. Then I decided to hold off on updating it for a little while, so I'm not posting them all at once. However, like the last one, I had little to no ideas for it and romance isn't really my forte, so it's not the best.**

 **I'll just explain this before anybody gets confused. This is kind of like two stories in one as the story goes back and forth between Mater and Holley's and Lightning and Sally's first dates. So, this one is...**

 **First Dates**

"How do I look?!" an excited but nervous tow truck quizzed the race car and human girl in front of him for the fiftieth time as he paced the junkyard almost subconsciously.

"You look great", the race car assured him.

"You look like Mater", the human girl added.

Mater hesitated. "Is that a good thing?"

Fudge shrugged. "Holley wants to see _Mater_."

He grinned. "Yeah. She does."

"How much time do you have before she gets here?" Lightning questioned.

"Well, we is meetin' at seven", Mater answered. "What's the time now?"

Fudge checked the spy watch that Finn and Holley had given her. "Four-thirty."

Lightning chuckled. "Well, we can hang out here for a little while."

"Yeah", Fudge agreed, sitting down on his hood.

Nobody in Radiator Springs ever thought they'd live to see the day. Their very own Tow Mater had a _date_! And with a pretty, magenta sports car from England who was a spy, no less! It was hard to believe, but they were all happy. None more so than Mater and Holley themselves.

Lightning couldn't help smiling as he thought about Holley's first visit to Radiator Springs with Finn and Sammy. Holley had just introduced herself to the large crowd as Mater's girlfriend, to everyone's disbelief. Then, when she had to leave much sooner than Mater, and the others, would've liked, she reminded the tow truck that he owed her a first date. Now, six weeks later, she was back with Finn and Sammy again. So, tonight was Mater and Holley's first date.

All of a sudden, the race car found himself transported to a moment five years ago. A moment when he knew he'd found the one. The one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And it was all a matter of one simple question...

* * *

"Just be cool, just be cool", he whispered to himself over and over again.

God. Standing outside her door, preparing to ask this one simple question got his heart going more than any race he'd been in ever had. What if she said no?

"What makes you think she's gonna say no?" Doc had responded when Lightning had asked him the same question. "You're practically dating already."

"So... you really think she'll say yes?"

Doc had shrugged. "You'll never know if you don't ask. Then, one day, you'll be as old as me, kickin' yourself because you never did."

Lightning stared at the older car. It sounded like he was talking from experience. Yet Lightning had known Doc for a couple of months now and knew better than to ask.

"Now, go get 'er before someone else does!"

The younger race car had smiled. "Thanks, Doc!" Then he had sped off to follow his advice.

Only now, he wasn't so sure if he should've.

He sucked in several deep breaths. "Come on!" he whispered to himself. "You can do this!"

Gathering up all of his courage, Lightning got ready to knock on the door to the Cozy Cone lobby when...

"Stickers?" Sally called from inside. "Are you coming in?"

Seeming to snap out of the trance he looked like he was in, Lightning looked her way. Wow. She looked even more beautiful than he ever remembered her being. "Uh... yeah... Sure..." He drove in. _Smooth!_ he scolded himself in his head.

"How's it going?" she greeted him.

"It's... It's going great!" He took a deep breath. "There's... there's something I wanna ask you. Something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time."

She looked his way expectantly.

"What... What are you doing tomorrow?"

She paused, thinking about it, before answering. "Well, I gotta sort out some stuff here at the motel, like cleaning and check-ins and all that, and do some paperwork. Then I promised Luigi and Guido I'd babysit Fudge, but after four, I'm pretty sure I'm free... Why?"

This was it.

"Okay... Here we go... I was wondering if... You would be interested in going to the Wheel Well with me? For... for dinner?"

Silence.

 _Oh, Chrysler!_ Lightning thought, cursing himself mentally for _ever_ bringing this up. _She's_ _going to say no, isn't she? Chrysler, why is she taking so damn long to say no?_

The Porsche's eyes widened. She had definitely been taken by surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, I know", he replied. "It's stupid, but-"

"I'd _love_ to!"

It was Lightning's turn to be taken by surprise. "Really?"

"Of course!" she chuckled. "I've been waiting for you to ask me out!"

"Really?"

"Yeah... What time did you wanna meet up?"

Lightning didn't answer.

"Stickers?"

The sound of his nickname made him snap out of it. "What?"

Sally rolled her eyes, amused, and repeated her question.

"How about I come here to pick you up at about six-thirty?"

"Great!" Sally agreed, turning back to her paperwork. "Can't wait!"

"Great!" Lightning echoed, reversing out of the lobby.

Sally watched him go, smiling, before returning to her paperwork in a great mood. She had been waiting months for Lightning to ask her out. And he finally had. However, it only took half a second for her joy and excitement to be replaced with alarm. She jumped a mile at the loud sound of someone exclaiming, " _ **YES**_ **!** "

* * *

"All right. Holley should be here any minute now. You got the flowers?"

"Got 'em!" Mater held up some fake flowers that he'd fashioned out of wires and antenna balls he'd found all around his junkyard. It may have sounded really scrappy, but they actually looked pretty impressive.

"Ya sure I still look okay?"

"You look great!" Fudge and Lightning assured him in unison.

He really did. Normally, Mater didn't care too much about how he looked, but he did tonight. He had gone through the car wash for the first time in who knew how long. He was wearing a bow tie licence plate that he'd gotten from the Wheel Well Motel. He would do just about anything to impress Holley.

Mater grinned. "All right!"

Fudge checked her watch again. "It's five to seven", she reported.

"Well, I think it's time we got out of your way!" Lightning announced.

"All right. Well, thanks for helpin' me git ready!"

"Good luck!" Lightning called to him, scooping Fudge onto his hood and driving off.

"Good luck!" Fudge echoed.

"Thanks!"

As soon as Fudge and Lightning were out of the junkyard, they glanced up to find a flash of silver streaking the sky. Right away, they both knew what it was.

"They're here!" Fudge cried.

"Right on time!" Lightning commented.

And it was only a matter of minutes before Siddeley had landed and Finn, Holley and Sammy were in town.

"Hey, guys!" Lightning greeted them.

"Hi!" Fudge added.

Sammy rushed to her fellow human and hugged her. "Fudge! How are you?! It feels like ages since the last time I saw you! Glad to see you're back on both of your feet!"

Fudge smiled. "Yeah..." She had broken her leg recently and was finally beginning to walk normally on her own.

"Hello, McQueen, hello, Fudge", Holley addressed them both politely. "Where's Mater?"

"He's waiting for you at his junkyard", Lightning reported.

Holley smiled. "Thank you."

The magenta British spy car was just as excited as Mater had been. This was it. She was about to go on her very first date with Mater.

Sure enough, the tow truck was waiting at the entrance to his junkyard. And when he saw who was coming, his face lit up. "Howdy, Holley!"

Holley's face lit up as well. "Hello, Mater! It's been so long! I am so glad to see you again!"

"I know! I am so dad-gum happy you wanted to go on this first date wit' me! Even when you done found out I ain't a spy!"

Holley smiled. "There's more to life than just being a spy, Mater!"

"I know. So, are ya ready?!" Mater quizzed the sports car excitedly. "I done got a whole evenin' worth of fun planned!"

"Of course I'm ready! What do you have planned?" She knew that whatever it was, it was sure to be something she'd never done before. After all, Mater was unlike anybody she'd ever met before.

"You sure you can handle it?" the tow truck teased.

"Mater!" Holley chuckled. "I'm a secret agent, remember?! I can handle anything!"

* * *

"Do you think I look all right?" Lightning quizzed Doc frantically.

"Well, not if you keep workin' yourself up like that, boy", the older race car deadpanned. "Now, calm down! All you're doin' is goin' out for dinner."

"I _k_ _now_!" Lightning shouted, getting frustrated. "But it's with a girl I really care about!"

It was quarter past six on the night of Sally and Lightning's date. And Lightning was panicking. All he wanted was for this date to go well. He'd gotten a paint touch up from Ramone, so that he looked shiny (plus, the Lowrider had given him complimentary dating advice), he'd gotten some flowers from Red and Flo had prepared a collection of goodies for Lightning to give to Sally.

Still, Lightning was nervous out of his mind. Sure, he'd been on dates before, but he'd never been in a serious relationship and, like he said, Sally was a girl he really cared about. There was more to the reasons for dating her than the other girls he'd been with. It wasn't just because she was the most beautiful car he'd ever seen and he wanted to say that he was going out with her (though, both of those statements were true). She was smart too. And funny. And caring. If he survived this date, he really felt like they could be in it for the long haul.

So, he knew that this date would be different.

"All right. Get outta here", Doc ordered abruptly. "I gotta do a check-up on Sheriff and I think you might wanna pick up Sally soon."

"We're meeting at six-thirty, Doc", Lightning reminded him. "I shouldn't leave just yet, should I? I don't wanna seem too needy."

Doc rolled his eyes. "You don't know much about romance, do you, rookie? A true gentleman is always on time."

Lightning managed a small smile. "You ever go out on any dates back in your racing days?" he questioned.

The Hudson Hornet paused for a moment, hesitant to answer. "A couple", he admitted finally. "Never worked out, though. There was one lady I was interested in, but... I was always too afraid to ask her out."

Ah ha! Lightning knew it! He _knew_ Doc was talking from experience yesterday!

"Just as well", Doc went on with a shrug. "I don't think she would've gone for someone like me."

"Really?" Lightning tried not to laugh. "Who was she?"

Another long pause.

"I'll tell you some other time, son. For now, you gotta get goin' for your date."

The younger race car smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, Doc. I'll see you later."

And with that, he drove out of the clinic towards the Cozy Cone.

It took under a minute for Lightning to arrive at his destination and he knocked on the door, hoping that he sounded confident (could a knock even sound confident?).

Sally opened it. "Stickers!" she greeted him. "Hi!" She looked happy to see him, but also kind of embarrassed.

"Hey, Sally!" Lightning responded. He thrusted the flowers and treats towards her. "I, uh... I got these for you."

The Porsche beamed. "Thank you! The flowers are just beautiful... And how did you know these were my favourite chocolates?!"

Lightning chuckled weakly. No way was he going to tell her that Flo told him. "It was... just a lucky guess." He decided to change the subject. "So... are you ready to go?"

Sally's face fell. "Actually, there's been a slight change of plans."

"What?" Lightning wanted to know. Immediately, he was disappointed.

He got his answer as Fudge came running out of the lobby, a bundle of energy. "Hi! Hi, Lightning!" she exclaimed breathlessly, clearly happy to see him.

"Hi, Fudge-O!" he replied, returning the hug she gave him.

"Luigi and Guido are running a bit late", Sally explained apologetically. "They asked if I could look after her a little while longer. Well, actually, they asked if she could stay the night because she should be asleep by the time they get back."

"Can't you drop her off at someone else's place?" Lightning questioned.

"Everyone else is busy", Sally replied, whispering. "Besides, I don't want her thinking we don't want her. You know that can be a pretty sensitive topic with Fudge."

Lightning did know. Luigi had told him the story of how Fudge ended up in Radiator Springs by being abandoned by her mother. And he had seen how upset she'd gotten by this as well as any time she felt like she was unwanted.

"Right. So... Maybe some other time..." He started to drive off.

"Wait!" Sally stopped him. "I didn't say we couldn't have our date. Fudge has helped me make some food this afternoon and now we have dessert." She held up the treats Lightning had brought over. "We just need to wait for her to fall asleep."

Lightning grinned. "I like that idea!"

"Right. Well, then come in!"

So, the race car rolled into the Cozy Cone lobby. Sure, this wasn't how he imagined his first date with Sally going at all, but he loved Fudge and he loved Sally (in _very_ different ways, of course). How bad could it be?

* * *

"Mater, this is _beautiful_!" Holley exclaimed repeatedly on their drive up towards the Wheel Well. "Have you really lived here all your life?"

Mater nodded. "Yes, siree. I was born and raised here. So was Fudge. I don't know who else was, though. Most of 'em came at some point or other, lookin' fer a better life. And Radiator Springs is what they found."

It was Holley's turn to nod, completely fascinated. "Well, this seems like a wonderful place to grow up. It's nothing like London or Tokyo." She looked back at the tow truck. "And you've never considered living anywhere else?"

He shook his front. "This is home."

Holley gave another nod, remembering Mater telling her this when he turned down the offer of joining her, Finn and Sammy on their next mission after the World Grand Prix. "Well, I can understand that."

"So... what 'bout where _you_ grew up?" Mater wanted to know.

Holley told Mater all about what growing up in London was like and he listened, hanging onto her every word.

"Well, we're here", the tow truck announced abruptly as they pulled up to the Wheel Well Motel.

"Oh, Mater! This place is brilliant!" Holley cried.

"Yep. This here is the Wheel Well", Mater explained. "This is our other motel 'sides the Cozy Cone. This was where we done found Miss Sally after she done broke down when she was leavin' California. I done towed her to Doc's, she got fixed up and she never left!"

"I can see why!" Holley stared at the breathtaking view of Ornament Valley from the top of the cliff. Everything bathed in a golden light as the sun set over the valley.

"So, is you ready fer supper?" Mater asked.

"Yes", Holley replied.

And so, the two of them entered the Wheel Well together.

* * *

"Fudge! Calm down, sweetie!" Sally called out.

But Fudge wouldn't calm down. She was practically bouncing off the walls. Sally blamed it on the fact that the girl had helped herself to the chocolates that Lightning had brought over. There were still some left, but not a lot.

Sally laughed and looked to her date. "Stickers?"

"I got it!" he chuckled, racing after Fudge.

As Lightning chased her, he couldn't help but feel disappointment. This was _not_ how he expected his first date with Sally going at all. This was supposed to be about them connecting. Talking. Laughing. Maybe even a first kiss. Not trying to calm Fudge down and get her to sleep.

The six-year-old shrieked as Lightning caught her and scooped her onto his hood.

"No fair!" Fudge whined. "You're faster than me!"

"Come on, Fudge-O!" the race car chuckled. "We gotta get your pyjamas on and put you to bed."

"But I don't wanna go to bed!" the six-year-old protested.

"It's way past your bedtime, sweetie", Sally pointed out.

"But bedtime is for _babies_!" Fudge argued. "I'm gonna-"

"You're gonna whack all the bedtimes in the trash!" an amused Lightning and Sally recited in unison. That was something Fudge often said and they knew to expect it by now.

Fudge stopped and pouted, which gave Sally enough time to pull off her shirt.

"No!" Fudge cried, reaching out to grab her shirt. "Nononononono!"

"No, you're not putting this shirt back on", Sally informed her, moving the shirt out of the girl's reach. She had Fudge's pyjama top with her. "Put this one on!"

"But I don't wanna go to bed!" Fudge protested.

There was a moment's hesitation before Sally smiled. "Tell you what." She handed Fudge her pyjama top. "You put this shirt and your pyjama pants on now and you can stay up with us a little while longer."

Fudge lit up. "I get to stay up?"

Sally nodded. "You get to stay up."

"And you won't tell Luigi and Guido I stayed up late?"

"And I won't tell Luigi and Guido you stayed up late."

"Okay!" Fudge cheered, about to run off.

"Oh, no you don't!" Lightning laughed, scooping her up again. "Sally said you had to get your pyjamas on if you wanted to stay up late."

The six-year-old pouted. "Fine!"

Reluctantly, Fudge let Sally change her into her pyjamas. Then she was off again.

Sally groaned. "We're _never_ going to get her to sleep."

Lightning sighed. "I know." _And we're never going to have this first date!_

* * *

"...and them bulldozers liked McQueen's fancy red paint job, so they done chased him instead and I done escaped!" Mater concluded his story.

"Wow!" Holley gasped. "That's quite impressive!" Even though the story was hard to believe and Holley didn't buy it at all, she had to admit, it was a pretty entertaining story.

"Maybe one day, I'll tell you 'bout when I used to be a monster truck wrestler!" the tow truck informed her.

Holley laughed. "I can't wait!"

The two of them were just finishing up their dinner at the Wheel Well and they had had a lot of fun. All through dinner, Mater had told some of his many tall tales. When Holley had been telling him about Japan, he informed her that he'd been to Japan before and became King of All Drifters. Then he told her about being a firetruck, private eye and bulldozer fighter.

Of course, that didn't mean that Holley had to shut up and listen the entire time. Mater had asked her plenty of questions about her hobbies, her family and her life, which she answered as much as she could.

It really was the perfect night for both of them. Mater had wanted this moment since he first met Holley at the World Grand Prix party in Japan. Holley, well, back then, she wouldn't have imagined that she would like that rusty, dented, unsophisticated tow truck. Though, now that she was in this moment, she knew that she really _did_ like him.

"That food was so dad-gum delicious, wasn't it?" Mater questioned once they'd finished eating.

Holley nodded. "Yes. Yes it was. Thank you so much, Mater. This has been a wonderful night."

"Well, the night ain't over yet!" the tow truck informed her. "I got one more surprise fer ya!"

"Really?"

"As long as yer sure you kin handle it!" he teased.

"Mater, I already told you I'm a secret agent!" Holley repeated. "I can handle anything!"

However, Holley seemed less sure about that when they arrived at their destination: the tractor field.

"Um... What are we doing here?" she wondered.

"Yer gon' love this!" Mater insisted. "Tonight, we is goin' tractor tippin'!"

"Oh, Mater, I don't know..."

"Come on! You'll love it! McQueen didn't think he'd like it either, but now, he loves it! So does Fudge!"

"Really? Because Fudge told me that she hated it."

Mater's eyes widened. "What?"

"Never mind... Why don't you show me what to do?" Holley suggested hurriedly.

"First thing ya gotta remember is to watch out fer Frank", Mater explained as they made their way through the tractor field.

"Frank? Who's Frank?" The British spy tried to remember Mater or any of the others mentioning that name somewhere, but it didn't ring a bell.

"Let's hope ya don't find out. Now, tractor tippin' ain't that hard- unless yer a human like Fudge and ya don't have a horn or engine. All ya gotta do is sneak up in front of 'em and honk! Then watch what they do!"

The tow truck crawled towards his first victim of the evening. He blared his horn loudly and the unsuspecting, sleeping tractor was awake in an instant. He or she went through the usual routine that they went through whenever they got woken up by Mater: mooing loudly as it tipped onto its back and backfiring.

Then Mater went through the usual routine _he_ went through when he woke the tractors up: hysterical laughter. Meanwhile, Holley just looked startled for a moment before she gave a weak chuckle as well.

"Boy, them tractors sure is dumb!" he declared once he'd gotten his breath back.

"That's it?" Holley wanted to know.

"Yep. That's it."

And Mater did it again and again.

"Yer turn, Holley!" he requested after a while.

Holley was caught off guard, but stuttered an, "Okay."

She crept up to one of the few sleeping tractors left. She couldn't believe that she was about to do this. However, when Mater gave her an encouraging nod, she figured that there was no harm in giving it a go. Taking a deep breath, she honked her horn. Sure enough, the tractor's eyes flew open and he or she mooed as he or she tipped over and then backfired.

Both Holley and Mater were silent for a moment before the latter cracked up. After a couple more seconds, Holley did too.

However, Mater stopped laughing when he heard several low groans.

"Um... Mater?" Holley asked. "What was that?"

"That's Frank."

With that, the tow truck turned around and started racing out of the tractor field. Even though Holley didn't know who Frank was or why he was dangerous, she was quick to follow him.

Half a second later, Frank came into view and he looked just as angry as ever. Holley turned around for a brief second to see who was chasing them: a very angry combine harvester. She didn't hesitate to pick up speed.

"Run!" Mater shrieked gleefully. " _ **RUN**_ **!** "

"I _am_!" Holley informed him.

" _ **RUN**_ **!** " Mater continued to holler, laughing. " _ **RUN**_ **!** "

The two kept driving as fast as they could as Frank kept chasing them.

"We just gotta git to the hole in the fence!" Mater shouted. "We is safe once we git there!"

For a while, the fence seemed just tauntingly out of the reach. However, Frank gave another loud growl, prompting the two cars to increase their speed. The fence seemed a lot closer then and Mater shot forward to burst through the hole in the fence. Holley was quick to follow.

* * *

"Fudge!" Sally called out, noticing that the clock said that it was ten o'clock.

Without the Porsche saying anything else, Fudge, who was playing with her toy animals, cried, "Nononononono!"

"Yes!" She began chasing the little girl while Lightning took the animals to hide them. "Come on! You should've been asleep hours ago!"

"I don't wanna go to sleep!"

"Come on! Do I have to tell Luigi and Guido you stayed up late?"

Fudge's eyes widened and she was quick to get into bed. Both Sally and Lightning laughed.

"Hold on! You need to brush your teeth first!" Sally reminded her.

Grumbling all the way, Fudge brushed her teeth reluctantly before getting back into bed reluctantly.

"Now, do you want a story?" Sally asked. Anything to get her to just _fall asleep_.

"Yes please!" The six-year-old held up a copy of _Elmer_ by David McKee.

"Okay." Sally took the book. "Stickers, why don't you get Fudge a glass of water while I read her this story?"

Lightning nodded. "All right."

So, that was what they did. The only problem was that although Lightning and Sally had thought that Fudge would fall asleep, they were dead wrong. Not even five minutes after they left her to sleep, Fudge was up.

"You should be asleep", Sally reminded her with a sigh.

"I finished my water and now, I have to pee!"

Another sigh came from the Porsche. "Fine. Then go back to bed."

Yet, Fudge didn't come out of the bathroom for nearly five minutes.

"Fudge is taking a long time in the bathroom", Lightning commented.

Without a word, Sally drove over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Fudge!"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Peeing!"

"I don't hear anything."

"I'm finished!"

"So, you're coming out now?"

There was a pause. Sally knew that Fudge hadn't thought of that. With even more grumbling, Fudge flushed the toilet, washed her hands and came out.

"Okay." Sally picked her up. "Back to bed."

"I can't sleep!"

"Well, you're just gonna have to try... Is there anything you want to help you go to sleep?"

"My animals!" Fudge responded automatically.

"Nice try, but you're just gonna play with them instead of sleep. Anything else?"

"Goodnight kisses?"

"That, you can have."

So, the Porsche tucked Fudge into bed once again and kissed the girl on the forehead.

"Okay. Now, will you go to sleep?"

"Lightning needs to give me a kiss too!"

Sally sighed. "All right. Wait here." She left the room. "Stickers?"

"Yeah?"

"Fudge wants you to come and give her a goodnight kiss."

"What about you?" Lightning was a little embarrassed because he'd never kissed Fudge before; he hadn't even kissed _Sally_ before.

"I've kissed her. She wants one from you too."

The stock car sighed. "Fine." He went over to Fudge's bed.

The human girl lit up when she saw the race car. "Hi, Lightning!"

"Hey! Sally says you want a goodnight kiss."

She nodded. "I do!"

"Are you gonna go to sleep if I give you a kiss?"

She nodded again.

"All right..." Uncertainly, Lightning leaned over and gave Fudge a very quick peck on the forehead so fast it probably couldn't have been timed. Though, a second later, he felt guilty about it, so he gave her another kiss, this one much slower, a proper kiss.

"Good night, Lightning."

"Good night, Fudge."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

As he rolled out of the room. Lightning couldn't help but feel disappointed that he had ended up kissing Fudge and not Sally, but the weirdest thing about the night was that kissing Fudge didn't feel weird. It just went to show how much he had changed over the last couple of weeks and how much he cared about Fudge.

* * *

"Maybe some other time, we can go look fer the Ghostlight!" Mater suggested as they rolled back to the town. "Fudge, McQueen and I done looked fer it last night! We had fun!"

"It _sounds_ fun", Holley agreed enthusiastically.

The two continued on in silence for a moment before Holley spoke again once they arrived back at the Cozy Cone.

"Thank you so much, Mater. I had an amazing time."

"Shoot!" Mater shrugged modestly. "It was nothin'."

"Not to me, it wasn't."

"Ah, well! I'm glad you had fun!"

They were right in front of Holley's cone and parked there in silence for a moment. Neither of them knew what to say or do next. Only for a brief moment, though...

It was very soft and gentle. Even though Holley was the one who initiated the kiss, she still couldn't believe that it was really happening. As for Mater, well, the tow truck was on cloud nine. He never ever would've imagined that Holley would want to kiss him. Yet, here she was, kissing him. It was amazing.

After a couple of seconds, Holley broke off and smiled at Mater. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Mater agreed enthusiastically. "Can't wait!"

With that, the sports car drove into her cone and closed the door, leaving Mater staring after her with a goofy, dreamy smile.

Over at Flo's, Sammy and Lightning were playing a game of checkers while Finn and Fudge watched. All three adults had alcoholic drinks while Fudge had a juice box. Everyone else seemed to have turned in for the night.

Finn was the first to notice Mater coming. "Mater! You're back!"

The other three glanced up. "Hey, Mater!"

"How'd it go?" Lightning wanted to know.

"Yeah, we've been waiting all night for you to get back", Sammy added. She grinned at Finn, Fudge and Lightning and added, "Figured I might as well cream these guys at checkers while we waited."

Lightning rolled his eyes. "How'd it go?" he repeated.

"It was fun!" Mater recounted all of the details of his date.

"Did you kiss?" Fudge questioned.

The tow truck nodded. "Yes, siree!"

Fudge made a face. "Ew!" At eleven, the human girl had never kissed anybody romantically, so she loved to tease Lightning and Sally by pretending that kissing was gross. Now, she could do the same to Mater.

"Mater and Holley!" Lightning started chanting.

"Parked beneath a tree!" Fudge and Sammy joined in. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

All of them laughed, including Mater himself.

"Seriously, though", Lightning added, "I think that's great, Mater."

Fudge nodded. "Me too."

The tow truck beamed. Talking to his best friend and little sister after his date and having them be supportive was the perfect end to the perfect night.

* * *

"Sally?!" Lightning whispered. "Do you see what I see?"

The Porsche peered into the room where the race car was looking. Indeed, she could see what he could see. Fudge was fast asleep.

"I'll get the wine!" Sally hurried off.

Before she could make it to the kitchen, there was a knock at the door and a familiar voice called out, "Hello!" It was Luigi.

Sally sighed before responding with, "Come on in, guys!"

Luigi and Guido entered and made a beeline towards Fudge, smothering her in kisses.

"Is she okay?" Luigi wanted to know as Guido picked her up.

"She didn't want to go to sleep", Sally explained, "but other than that, there weren't any problems."

"Okay." Luigi kissed his daughter. "Well, thank you so much, both of you, for taking care of her. We will take her home now and see you tomorrow."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow."

"Come on, Fudgie!"

Guido, carrying the sleeping Fudge, followed Luigi out of the Cozy Cone and back to Casa Della Tires.

"So", Lightning grinned at Sally once they were gone, "what do you say we open that wine now?"

There was a long pause as Sally gave a loud sigh. "I'd love to, Stickers..." she began.

"But..." he prompted. He knew that there was a _but_ coming.

Another sigh. "I'm exhausted!"

"Oh! Okay. Well, maybe some other time... What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Hopefully sleeping!"

Lightning laughed. "Yeah. I hope I'm sleeping too! Fudge sure can be a handful!"

"Well, what six-year-old ever _wants_ to go to bed? Or admits it when they really do?"

"Yeah!" Lightning chuckled. "She really is a good kid, though."

"Oh, I know."

"Well", Lightning began, starting to leave, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Sally nodded. "I'd like that!"

"Good night."

"Good night."

When Lightning left the Cozy Cone, he found Doc waiting for him.

"How'd it go, rookie?" he wanted to know.

Lightning sighed heavily. "You don't wanna know."

 **The End**

 **In case it wasn't obvious, the lady Doc was interested in was Louise Nash. I kind of like the idea that they could've been together, had they just told each other how they felt. I also head canon that the crushes that they had on each other were blatantly obvious to everyone except each other.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed that, despite how shockingly few ideas I had. I don't have many ideas for new stories, so there may be a few more revived versions of old ones coming up. I hope you'll still reread those because there a couple I may want to rewrite completely.**

 **In the meantime, though, I'll see you later!**


	6. Fudge Day

**Hi. It's me again. I got another new-old story to go in** _ **Tales From Radiator Springs**_ **. It takes place as a flashback to before the first movie, so Lightning won't be appearing in this and neither will Sally (this is before she arrived as well).**

 **Summary: Have you ever wondered how Luigi and Guido came to adopt Fudge? Eh. Probably not. Still, if you read on, you're gonna find out anyway. On a very special day, Guido and Luigi reflect on another special day that changed their lives forever. Enjoy.**

 **Fudge Day**

" **WILL YOU TURN THAT DISRESPECTFUL JUNK OFF?!** " Sarge's voice barked from the other end of town.

"Respect the classics, man!" Fillmore replied. "It's Hendrix!"

Luigi, the Italian yellow Fiat, and his assistant/best friend, Guido, the blue forklift, just rolled their eyes and smiled. They had been awake for hours. Normally, they liked to sleep in whenever they could and would _never_ be up before Sarge and Fillmore. However, today was a very special day. Why? Well, it all started fifteen years ago...

* * *

For many years- decades, even- Radiator Springs, Arizona, had been nothing but a ghost town. Ever since the Interstate had bypassed the town and all of Route 66, there had been no business there. In fact, most of the residents had closed down their stores and businesses and left town. Still, eleven had stayed. They stayed out of loyalty to the town and to each other. And these eleven became closer than ever. They became like a family. Still, it was pretty boring and lonely, waiting for Radiator Springs to return to the map. Or, at least, get a couple of customers every now and then. Boring. Lonely. Lonely. Boring.

Nobody expected June fifteenth 2000 to be any different.

Eight... Nine... Ten... Eleven. Yep. Everyone was at Flo's, sipping on their morning oil like they did every morning.

"Anyone got any plans for today?" Ramone quizzed the others, merely to break the silence.

"Nope", most of them responded.

"Not unless we get customers, man", Fillmore added.

Sarge scoffed. "Like _that's_ gonna happen!"

"It could happen _some_ day, man!" Fillmore reasoned.

"Until then", Flo piped up, "we're just gonna have to make the best of what we've got."

"Wait. Today's Thursday, ain't it?" Mater jumped in abruptly.

Everyone realised that he was right. It _was_ Thursday. Thursday was the day that one or two of the townsfolk would be assigned the all-important job of going into Ashgrove- a slightly larger town on Route 66, about a two and a half hours drive from Radiator Springs- in order to buy anything anybody in town needed such as food. The idea was that, throughout the week, any of the residents could write down anything that they needed or wanted on a sheet of paper that was always somewhere around Flo's.

Of course, since there was never anything to do in town, everyone competed to have the job on Thursdays. They did every week. However, on _this_ occasion, Sarge and Fillmore were out because they'd gone last week (and they had argued a _lot_ in the process). Lizzie always stayed behind because she was too old and forgetful. Doc, Red and Sheriff never went either in case there was an emergency in the town and the three of them were needed (it seemed extremely unlikely, but better safe than sorry). So, everyone else drew straws. This time, Luigi and Guido got the job.

"Okay, boys." Flo gave them a piece of paper. "Here's the list. Take all the time you need and stay safe."

Luigi took the paper. " _Grazie_." Then he and Guido were off.

How was their day? Well, rather uneventful. They took their time getting everything on the list because it gave them something to do. However, they couldn't drag it out forever, so when they bought the last of the things they needed, they took a slow drive around the town before heading off back to Radiator Springs.

By the time the two Italians saw the familiar sight of the Radiator Springs sign, the orange sun was drowning slowly in a sea of pink. It was getting late, they realised, and all they could think about was a can of nice, cold oil. After all, like a _lot_ of days in Arizona, this one had been _very_ hot.

However, they never made it to Flo's because something else had attracted their attention. Parked by the side of the road was a small yellow truck. Their initial thought was that this was a customer. Of course, _that_ got them very excited. Maybe today was the day when everything went back to the way it was! The day Radiator Springs got back on the map!

Their combination of hope and excitement didn't take long to transform into concern and disappointment when they realised what was going on. The truck was talking to someone; they weren't sure _who_ because they couldn't see another person, but they were grunting in pain. Luigi and Guido could only hear snatches of their conversation.

"...been through this twice before", the truck told the person he was talking to.

"Yeah, but... a _doctor_ with me both times! And..." The other person's voice was female. She seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Maybe we should find you a doctor", the truck suggested.

"No time!" the female gasped. "We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"It's gonna be okay!" the truck assured her. "Just breathe! I'm here to help you!"

"No offence, Steve, but you weren't exactly my..." (They were missing parts of the conversation; it was hard to hear.) "...far away from home as possible."

Knowing that something was definitely wrong, Luigi decided to approach them, Guido following uncertainly.

"Do you need some help?" the Fiat wanted to know.

The truck turned to look at him and Guido. So did the other person with him. Guido and Luigi could finally see her. A human woman. She looked to be in her late thirties or early forties. She had chin-length jet black hair and dark brown eyes and was dressed in a pale yellow floral dress that looked like it had definitely seen better days. This human was sat on the ground, clutching her bulging stomach, face scrunched up in pain. Even Luigi and Guido could tell that that could only mean one thing...

"She's in labour", the truck (Steve, apparently) explained. "I don't suppose _you'd_ know much about that."

"That is true", Luigi agreed. "We do not. But we know someone who does." He turned to Guido and took the bags he had from him. "Guido, you stay here. Luigi will go get help."

"Okay!" Guido agreed as Luigi drove off in the direction of the town.

"Doc!" Luigi exclaimed, racing up to Flo's V8 Café where most of the townsfolk of Radiator Springs were gathered. "Doc!" He dropped the bags he was carrying.

Doc rolled forward, concerned. "What, Luigi? What's wrong?"

Luigi chattered away a million miles an hour and nobody could grasp _all_ of what he was saying, but they all got the gist. Someone was having a baby and they needed help.

Nobody could believe it. There had _never_ been a human _born_ in Radiator Springs before. Sure, there'd been human residents back when the town was booming, but they'd all been born elsewhere. And there had been one human living in Radiator Springs named Julia, who'd gotten pregnant. Of course, the townsfolk couldn't be more excited to meet the baby. However, she left town when she was five months pregnant with her husband when travellers stopped coming through.

Now, it seemed like there would be a human baby born in Radiator Springs that day.

"Are you serious, man?!" Ramone exclaimed.

"A _baby_?!" Sheriff sounded just as astonished.

"Yes!" Luigi answered breathlessly. "And she needs help!"

"All right, Luigi. Show me where!" Doc instructed hurriedly.

Meanwhile, Guido tried to comfort the woman by talking to her, but, unfortunately, he was speaking in Italian, which she did not understand at all.

She was relieved to see Luigi return with help.

"Are you a doctor?" she quizzed Doc.

"I sure am."

"A doctor for _humans_?"

"Cars _and_ humans. I haven't delivered many babies, but I'm fully qualified."

They could tell that this human wasn't sure how she felt about that. The doctor delivering her baby hadn't delivered many. Then again, it was better than no doctor at all.

"All right..." she panted as Doc examined her. "You're gonna have to do..."

"I think this is gonna be a while", he announced, ignoring her last comment. "Come on. Let's get you back to the clinic... What was your name?"

"Celeste", she replied. "Celeste Jones."

"Anything I can do to help?" the truck offered as the other three vehicles helped the human (Celeste) stand up.

"Yes. Steve", Celeste began. "I need you to do me a favour."

"What? Anything."

"In... in the trailer... I got a box of..." She stopped and grunted from the pain, clutching her stomach. "...box of baby supplies! Clothes... toys... stuff like that... And I got a list of... of everything we... Oh, God! ...everything we need. If there's anything missing... see... see if there's somewhere you can get it from."

"We haven't seen anywhere for miles!" he protested.

" **JUST DO IT!** " she ordered. "And... and hurry before... you know..."

"You should try Ashgrove", Luigi suggested. "It is about two hours from here."

So, Steve left to go and find Ashgrove while the others headed into Radiator Springs.

"Is there anyone you want me to call?" Doc offered once they'd gotten Celeste into the clinic and as comfortable as they could get her. "The father maybe?"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"You can get _phone reception_ out here?" she asked incredulously before giving her answer. "No. No, I don't want you to call the father. And I would appreciate it if you just... don't talk about him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, _stop_!"

The three male vehicles glanced at each other awkwardly.

"All right", Doc agreed.

All of a sudden, the doors to the clinic burst open to reveal Mater.

"Hey, Doc!" he shouted in his usual southern accent, making Celeste cringe. "Sheriff done told me someone was havin' a baby! Is that true?!"

Doc chuckled as Celeste gave him a, _Who is this?_ look.

"Yes, Mater, it's true. But why don't you wait over at Flo's with everyone else?"

"But Guido and Luigi's in here wit' you!" Mater protested.

"They're helpin' me", Doc explained. "And you can help by waitin' at Flo's and tellin' everyone we'll let 'em know when we have news."

"Okeydokey", Mater agreed, driving off, whistling.

Celeste sighed in relief. "Thank Chrysler! I thought he'd never leave!"

Doc smiled. "Mater may come off as a little strange, but he really is nice."

"Yeah, well, he's not exactly the type of person I want around while I'm doing this." There was a pause. "Oh, God!" she exclaimed abruptly. "I'm having another contraction!"

"All right... Just breathe..."

"I can't... I can't!"

The labour went on for hours. For a while, Guido and Luigi were uncertain if anything was gonna happen.

"The baby's just taking a while to make an appearance", Celeste commented.

"Do you know the sex yet?" Doc wanted to know.

"No. Not yet."

Now, it was very early in the morning and Celeste's pain got worse and the contractions more constant.

"Is this it?" Luigi wanted to know.

Doc took another look at Celeste. "Yeah... I think this is it."

"Oh, God, oh, God!" The human woman began to hyperventilate.

"Celeste, relax!" Doc instructed her. "Just breathe. It's time to start pushin'. Ready?"

"I don't think I can do this!"

"Yes you can! Come on, Celeste. Push!"

"How much longer?!" she wheezed a little while later.

"Wait a sec! Keep pushin'!" Doc looked. "Baby's head is crownin'."

"Guido!" Luigi exclaimed. "That is the most beautiful top of a head I have ever seen!"

Neither Luigi nor Guido could believe what they were seeing. This baby was coming into the world and starting his or her _life_! It was _incredible_!

"Is it okay?!" Celeste questioned.

"The baby's fine", Doc assured her. "But you're gonna have to push harder... Celeste, you're gonna have to push harder. Nothin's happenin'."

"I can't! I _can't_!"

"Yes you can! Come on! We got a head! Keep pushin'! Here come the shoulders!"

"Oh, God!" she screamed as she kept pushing. "This thing is _never_ gonna come out!"

Doc turned to Guido. "I'm gonna need you to take the baby when it comes all the way out", he instructed the little blue forklift, who nodded in understanding.

"Okay!" He got himself ready.

"All right, you're almost there! Just one more big one and..."

That's when they heard it. A thin wail filled the room as Guido held up... the baby! It was bright pink, naked and covered in blood, but Guido and Luigi thought it was the most beautiful baby they had ever seen.

"It's a girl", Doc announced.

"A _girl_!" Celeste exclaimed softly. "It's a _girl_!"

" _Bellissima_! Guido!" Luigi cried just as softly. "She is an _angel_!"

"(She is beautiful!)" Guido added in Italian as, by Doc's instructions, he cut the umbilical cord of the baby. "(So cute!)"

"All right." Doc took the baby from Guido. "Let's get 'er cleaned up and wrapped up."

So, he did. He had her weighed as well. Then he brought the baby over to her mother.

"Here she is!" he announced. "First human baby ever born in Radiator Springs. Born June sixteenth at three-forty-seven A.M."

"Oh, my God!" Celeste gasped, taking her from him. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

"She _is_ small!" Luigi commented. "She is smaller than my tyres!"

"But she's still a good size. Healthy as can be."

"Thank you..."

"You should probably get some rest", Doc suggested. "Is it all right if we take her for a little while?"

"Sure." Celeste handed the baby back.

"May I hold her?" Luigi, as the only one who hadn't yet, requested.

"Of course." Doc gave the baby to him and Luigi just melted.

"She is just the most beautiful baby I have ever seen!" he squealed with joy.

"Yeah..." Celeste murmured, not sounding sure of it, but that was probably because she was tired.

Not only was Celeste still asleep as the sun rose, but Doc was too. Not Guido and Luigi, though. They were staying awake to be with the baby. Unfortunately, at sun rise, the sound of a reveille could be heard. It was soon followed by an electric guitar.

" **WILL YOU TURN THAT DISRESPECTFUL JUNK OFF?!** " Sarge yelled.

"Respect the classics, man!" Fillmore shouted back. "It's Hendrix!"

The baby, who had been asleep in Guido's arms at that point, woke up at the sound of their music and shouting and began to cry.

"Sssh... Sssh... Sssh!" Guido whispered soothingly, trying to rock her back to sleep.

The baby stared up at him with big blue eyes. Nothing like her mother's dark brown eyes, the three vehicles had noticed. There was something about these two little Italian vehicles that made the newborn feel safe and comforted. So, it didn't take her long to go back to sleep. Guido smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Do you think she is dreaming?" Luigi wondered a little while later, looking at the little baby before looking up at his best friend.

"(Maybe)", Guido replied, refusing to take his eyes off her. "(If she is, I wonder what she is dreaming about.)"

"I don't know", Luigi answered.

"Why don't you two take her over to Flo's?" Doc suggested to Luigi and Guido several hours later. By then, it was early afternoon and they knew the others were still awaiting news. "I'm sure everyone'll wanna see her. I'll stay here with Celeste to see when she and the baby'll be ready to leave and go home."

Luigi's eyes widened at that last part. "What?"

"Well, they can't stay here forever", Doc reminded him. "They've got family somewhere and Celeste's possibly got a career. They gotta get back to their lives."

Both Italians nodded sadly. They realised that they'd made a big mistake. Despite knowing her for a very short time, they'd grown very attached to the little baby. With all the joy and excitement they'd experienced when she was born, they'd completely forgotten that her mother didn't live in Radiator Springs and that she was going to have to leave eventually. With the baby.

Luigi tried to hide his sadness with a smile. "Of course. We will take her over to Flo's. I am sure you are right. Everyone would love to meet her! Why wouldn't they? She is just the sweetest little angel!"

Luigi headed over to Flo's first. He wanted to make sure everyone was quiet before Guido brought the baby out. They didn't want a repeat of Sarge and Fillmore's early morning wake-up call.

"How is she?" Sheriff quizzed Luigi as soon as he arrived at Flo's. He had noticed that the Fiat had come from Doc's rather than the tyre shop and looked like he hadn't slept.

"The mother or the baby?"

"Both", Sheriff replied.

"So, we know it's a girl then!" Ramone piped up before Luigi could answer.

Luigi beamed. "Yes. It is a girl. She was born very early this morning and both she and her mother are fine. Guido will bring the baby here in a moment. We just wanted to make sure everyone was quiet first." He looked directly at Sarge and Fillmore. "You two woke her up this morning."

"We did?" Sarge asked.

Luigi nodded.

"Sorry, man", Fillmore murmured.

"C'mon!" Mater shouted excitedly, his tow hook wagging like a dog's tail. "Let's see the baby! I wanna see 'er! I wanna see 'er!"

"Mater, calm down!" Sheriff instructed.

"What's her name?" Flo asked.

"She does not have a name yet", Luigi reported.

"So, can we see her?!" Mater begged.

"Okay", Luigi agreed. "I will go and get Guido and the baby." He drove off.

To the rest of the townsfolk, it felt like Luigi was gone forever. But he finally returned with Guido (also looking like he didn't get any sleep), who was holding a baby!

There was a collective soft gasp at the sight of the little baby. Luigi expected everyone to start exclaiming over how cute and small and beautiful she was. Yet nobody did. They just stared.

For about five seconds.

"Oh, my gosh!" Flo exclaimed. "She's just _precious_!"

"She's beautiful, man", Fillmore commented.

"Yeah, she is", Sheriff agreed.

"What a little princess!" Lizzie added.

"She sure is purty!" That was Mater.

"She's so small", Sarge remarked.

"Her mom is one lucky lady", Ramone chimed in.

Red just gazed at her in amazement. He could not believe how cute she was.

"Oh, you are the sweetest little thing!" Flo cooed. "You're even sweeter than the fudge I made yesterday!"

"Let's call her Fudge!" Luigi suggested abruptly.

"Fudge?" everyone repeated.

"She does not have a name yet", the Fiat explained. "And I don't want to just call her the baby and she is sweet like Flo said."

"You're right", Sheriff agreed. "Fudge, it is."

Everyone agreed. Well, except for Fillmore. To him, the _food_ fudge was poison because it contained so many unnatural ingredients.

"Baby's makin' friends already, I see", Doc chuckled as he pulled up to Flo's.

Everyone laughed. "Yes she is", Luigi agreed, smiling fondly at the baby in his best friend's arms. He kissed her gently.

"You two are very good with her", the doctor informed the two Italians with a smile. "I think she likes you."

The two of them beamed with pride, almost like this was _their_ baby.

"How's the mother?" Sheriff questioned.

"She's fine", Doc assured him. "Woke up a little while ago and said she wanted some time alone. Oh, and the kid's got a name now. Got her birth certificate all sorted."

"What? What is it?" Everyone buzzed with curiosity.

"Brittney", Doc reported. "Brittney Jones."

Luigi smiled at the baby again. "As much as I like Brittney, I think Fudge suits her more."

"Fudge?" Doc repeated, confused.

Luigi explained how they'd decided to call her that, to which the Hudson Hornet just smiled.

"Can I hold her?" Flo requested.

Guido looked at Doc, who nodded. So, the little forklift handed Fudge over to the former show car. Soon, everyone was wanting to hold her. So, they all took turns, passing the little baby around.

"I wanna hold 'er! I wanna hold 'er!" Mater kept whining impatiently, the others constantly having to shush him.

"All right, Mater", Sheriff announced finally as his turn holding Fudge came to an end, leaving Mater as the only one who hadn't held her yet, "you wanna hold her now?"

"Yeah!" the tow truck cried eagerly.

"All right." He handed her over. "Jus' be careful and quiet."

An ecstatic Mater took Fudge from Sheriff, only for her to almost immediately begin to cry.

"No, no, no!" Mater exclaimed, his loud voice making her cry even more. "Don't cry! Don't cry! Why is she still cryin'?"

"Maybe she's hungry", Doc guessed, taking Fudge from him. "I gotta get her back to her mother, so she can feed her."

"But I ain't had my turn holdin' her!" Mater protested.

"You can hold her later", he promised. "Right now, I gotta get her back to her mother."

Doc returned to Flo's five minutes later, but Fudge's situation did not look resolved. In fact, things looked worse. She was still crying and Doc had a horrified look on his face.

"What?!" Sheriff demanded as everyone gathered around, knowing that something was _very_ wrong. "What's wrong?!"

Nobody could believe it when Doc managed to choke out the words, "She's _gone_!"

" _What_?!" everyone cried.

"What do you mean _gone_?!" Sheriff added.

"Box of baby supplies is in there, but the mother is gone", Doc reported. "How the supplies got in there and she left without any of us noticin', I don't know, but..." _Probably because_ _we were too distracted by the baby_ , Doc thought.

"What about Fudge?!" Luigi gasped, horrified by the thought and worried about what would happen to her. In fact, he was so shocked and angry by the baby's mother abandoning her that his brown eyes filled with tears. He came forward and kissed her repeatedly. "Oh, you poor baby!" he exclaimed over and over again as he did so. "Oh! You poor, poor baby!"

Sheriff parked by Doc and Luigi, gazing at Fudge sadly before looking up at Doc. "What are we gonna do?"

Doc sighed, deep in thought, as he glanced at the crying baby he was still holding. "I'm gonna have to talk to ACAFCA and explain the situation." He pronounced ACAFCA like a word. A-caff-kuh. That was the American Child Adoption and Foster Care Association. "I'll see what they have to say. In the meantime, we gotta feed Fudge. Now, we need to get some..."

Once Fudge's food situation was taken care of, Doc called ACAFCA and informed them of what had happened. After explaining the situation, there were a lot of, "Uh-huhs" and "Rights" and "I sees". Everyone listened carefully, wanting to hear what was going on. Finally, Doc thanked them and hung up.

"Well?" Sarge asked.

"Fudge is stayin' here for now", he reported. "They said it's important for her to be near a doctor right now. They're gonna try and track her mother or any members of her family down and if they can't, she'll be put up for adoption."

"So, where is she gonna stay?" Mater wanted to know.

"Well, she's gonna stay with me in the clinic for a couple of days", Doc explained. "And then... if someone _wants_ to take her home..." Guess which two he was looking directly at by that point.

Luigi gasped happily and began babbling away while Guido looked just as excited. "Of course! We would _love_ to take care of her! Luigi and Guido would take very good care of her! Guido! We would have a _baby_! I must scream it to the world! My excitement from the top of someplace very high!" He paused and took a deep breath. " _This_ is the most glorious day of my life!"

Everyone laughed. Luigi and Guido both adored children, but neither of them had ever had any. Like everyone else in town, they'd always been a big help with Flo and Ramone's three daughters while they were growing up. Now, the girls had all left to get married, go to college or both. They all knew they'd be great with Fudge. It was obvious that they loved her from the second they saw her head crowning.

"Looks like we've established who _that's_ gonna be!" Doc chuckled.

"Oh!" Luigi exclaimed. "Did someone else want to take her?"

"No, no", everyone assured him. "That's okay. You take her. We all know you want to."

Luigi beamed. "Of course we do. Why would we not want her?" He kissed her again.

"But how are we gonna take care of her?" Sarge wondered. "We don't have the supplies to look after a _car_ baby! Let alone a _human_ one!"

"Well, we got some baby supplies here now", Doc reminded him. "There are clothes, diapers, toys, a lot of stuff for a human baby. Not everythin', but a lot. We can go into Ashgrove for the bigger things like a crib, a changin' table..."

"Okay!" Luigi agreed.

"Where are you gonna put the crib and all that?" Sheriff wondered.

"Fudgie can sleep in one of _our_ rooms", Luigi decided. "We can sort out her own room when she is older if we need to", he added, unsure of how long Fudge would be with them.

"Sounds like a good idea. But right now", Doc went on, "I think you and Guido should get some sleep. Both of you were up all night. I'll keep an eye on Fudge."

It took a lot of convincing, but Guido and Luigi eventually gave up their protests and went home to get some sleep.

"How is Fudge?" were the first words out of Luigi's mouth when they returned to the clinic in the evening. By then, the sky had begun to grow dark.

Doc smiled. "Fudge is fine. I just fed her and got her to sleep."

"No problems?" Luigi wanted to confirm.

Doc shook his hood. "She's as healthy as can be."

" _Grazie_ , Doc."

"All right, I've been makin' a list while you two were asleep", Doc explained, pulling out a sheet of paper covered in the Hudson Hornet's writing, "of everythin' you'll need that's not in any of the boxes over there." He gestured to the three boxes in the corner of the room. "Tomorrow, I want you to go into Ashgrove to buy it all. I can help pay if you need it, but the important thing is gettin' it all."

Luigi nodded, taking the list from him. " _Grazie_ , Doc."

So, the next day, the two of them went into Ashgrove with Flo (who insisted on coming; Doc stayed behind to take care of Fudge) to buy everything on Doc's list. Apart from the shop assistant giving Luigi and Guido a strange look when she realised that the supplies were for the child of the two of them, their shopping trip was a success. They got everything on Doc's list and some extra toys for her. However, some of it was too big to take home with them, so it was being delivered.

And when it all arrived, three days later, Guido and Luigi were allowed to bring little baby Fudge home for the very first time. And they finally _went_ home. Ever since Fudge was born, they insisted on sleeping at the clinic every night that she was there.

"Are you ready to see your new home?" Luigi quizzed the infant.

Fudge didn't answer (duh! She was a _baby_!). She just stared up at Luigi with those big blue eyes. When they entered the store, Fudge's eyes widened in curiosity. There were many Ferrari posters on the walls of the tyre shop.

Luigi laughed at her expression. "Yes. Those are Ferraris", he informed her, holding her up to see. "You will learn to love those."

Fudge was to sleep in Guido's room and there were two reasons for this. One, it was closer to the store entrance and, therefore, easier than Luigi's room to get the crib and everything else into. And two, Guido was a lighter sleeper than Luigi. So, if there was a problem with Fudge in the middle of the night, Guido was more likely to wake up and take care of it. The first thing they did when they got her in was lay her down. She fell asleep almost instantly, the two Italians smiling fondly at her. It looked like she was happy with her new home.

When she was asleep, both Guido and Luigi began to feel nervous. They were really _doing_ this! They were _fathers_! _Could_ they do it? They had no idea. Neither of them had had kids before and now, they had been thrust into the world of parenting unexpectedly with little time to prepare. All they wanted was to be good fathers.

Could they do it? They looked at the sleeping baby again. The baby they had watched being born. The baby who had been abandoned by her mother. The baby who had nobody but them.

For her, they could do anything.

Months passed and there was no sign of Fudge's mother or any of her family, for that matter. The RS gang and ACAFCA put in many hours, searching for her, but they had no success.

"You know what I think?" Doc announced one day in late October. "I think she gave us a fake name."

"What do you mean?" Luigi wondered.

"Well, think about it", Doc reasoned. "This woman _abandons_ her child. Last thing she's gonna do is make it easier for us to find her."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense", Sheriff realised.

"So, what?!" Sarge sounded annoyed. "This whole time, we've been looking for a woman that doesn't even _exist_?!"

"Well, that's what I _think_ ", Doc repeated. "I don't know that _for sure_."

"I got on the phone with ACAFCA this mornin' about it", the Hudson Hornet went on. "Said I think it's about time we talk about puttin' Fudge up for adoption. And they agreed."

"So, Fudge is going to be taken away?" Luigi questioned worriedly.

"Actually", Doc began with a smile, "I told 'em about how you two have been lookin' after her and how it seems you've gotten attached... And they said they might be able to work somethin' out."

Luigi gasped happily. "Really?!"

Doc smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Of course, that is if you boys are interested", he teased.

"Of course we are interested!" Luigi assured him, holding the baby close.

"Well, I said I'd call back when I talked to you about it. Why don't you boys come with me and talk to the agency?"

It was only a matter of minutes before everything was sorted. ACAFCA agreed to send Guido and Luigi the adoption papers for them to sign, which they couldn't be gladder to do.

"We are done!" Luigi announced not long after receiving the adoption papers. "We are ready to send these back."

"Done already?" Doc chuckled. "That was fast."

"Yes, well, we needed to get it done quickly, so we can get that certificate of adoption as soon as possible."

A few days before Thanksgiving, against their better judgement, the RS gang let Mater babysit Fudge. Mater wasn't sure what to do with her, so he just let her crawl around his junkyard. Until it got to the point where the tow truck couldn't find the human baby.

"Where did she go?!" he wondered hysterically, searching the yard up and down. "Dad-gum! I done lost the baby!" In the several months that Fudge had been alive, Mater had never once called her Fudge. He just referred to her as _the_ _baby_. "What am I gonna do?!"

"Mater!" Sheriff called. "Luigi and Guido want their kid back! C'mon!"

Mater panicked. What was he gonna do? He couldn't just go back over to Flo's and tell them he lost the baby! So, what could he- That was it!

"How is Fudge?" Luigi wanted to know.

"She's... She's fine", Mater responded weakly.

"How come she's not crying?" Sarge wondered.

Fudge was the happiest baby that any of them had ever met. She hardly ever cried. Unless they gave her to Mater. For some reason, she _always_ cried when Mater held her. The tow truck was convinced that she hated him.

Luigi reached out for his "daughter" to take her from Mater.

"No!" Mater shouted, reversing away from Luigi. "I wanna hold her!"

"Mater", Luigi began, getting suspicious.

"No!" Mater continued to shift away from Luigi. "I... I just..." That's when _it_ happened. He smacked "Fudge" up against one of the metal pillars of the café!

Nobody knew that Mater didn't actually have Fudge and they were all _horrified_ by what they just saw. Everyone's eyes widened and there were gasps all around.

"Hey!" Mater exclaimed, trying to act natural. "Look at that! She ain't cryin'!"

"Uh, that ain't always a good thing!" Doc informed him, reaching out to try and take "Fudge". "Give her to me, Mater."

"What is you doin'?!" Mater questioned.

"Mater, I need to make sure Fudge is all right."

"She is, okay?!" Mater insisted. "The baby's fine!"

Doc gave Mater a Look with raised eye frames. That was all he needed to do for the tow truck to break down.

"All right, all right! I done lost the baby!" He unwrapped the blanket he was holding to reveal a wrench.

" _ **WHAT**_ **?!** " Luigi exploded.

Although horrified by this news, nobody could hide their relief that Mater didn't just smack her up against a metal pillar.

"What do you mean you lost the baby?" Doc asked

"I can't find her anywhere!" Mater replied. "One second, she was just crawlin' around my junkyard and the next, she was gone!"

Doc closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "All right. Let's go find her."

The search didn't last long. Fudge was soon found by Doc, fast asleep in the very corner of the shack Mater slept in, cuddling her stuffed cow.

"Dad-gum!" Mater sighed with relief. "I thought I'd lost her!" He picked her up.

"Mater, _no_!" Doc shouted in a panic.

Too late. Fudge launched into hysterical screaming and crying.

Doc took Fudge from him. "You _never_ wake a sleeping baby!" The Hudson Hornet started to rock her in an attempt to get her back to sleep. "It's all right. You're all right."

But Fudge wouldn't calm down.

"Let's go over to Flo's", Doc suggested. "Guido and Luigi will be there. Maybe they can calm you down."

"Fudgie!" Luigi exclaimed as he took her from Doc. "What is wrong?!"

"She was asleep and Mater picked her up", Doc explained.

"Poor baby!" Luigi whispered, rocking her gently the way Doc had. "It is okay, it is okay!"

But Fudge wouldn't stop crying. Despite Luigi's efforts, he couldn't get her to stop.

"I can't rock her anymore!" Luigi announced around the two-hour mark. He looked and sounded exhausted. So did everyone else.

"(I will take her)", Guido offered, taking the infant in his arms.

"Mail's here!" Mater announced all of a sudden.

A second later, everyone except Guido rushed over to see what mail they had. And Luigi gasped happily.

"Guido! It is here!"

"(What is?)"

"The adoption certificate!"

"(It is here?!)" Guido cried excitedly.

"Yes! Fudge is officially our daughter!"

"Let's see it!" everyone else requested.

"Okay, but first, we have an announcement to make", Luigi declared.

The others looked his way curiously.

"Now that Fudge is officially our daughter", Luigi announced, "Guido and I have decided to legally change her name."

That got the townsfolk both excited and even more curious. They all rolled in closer, eager to hear Luigi tell them Fudge's new name.

"Oh, no!" Ramone exclaimed jokingly. "You've changed her name to Ferrari, haven't you?"

All of them laughed. Even Luigi and Guido themselves laughed good-naturedly at Ramone's teasing.

"She is no longer Brittney Jones..." Luigi went on, pausing dramatically. "She is now... Brittney... _Rossi-Topolino_!"

The announcement prompted loud cheers and honks before everyone stared at the piece of paper. It stated that Luigi Topolino and Guido Rossi were the official guardians of Brittney "Fudge" Rossi-Topolino. It seemed that everyone had a response to that.

"That's great!" (Sarge.)

"Way to go!" (Flo.)

"Congratulations, man!" (Fillmore.)

"You must be very happy." (Sheriff.)

Even Fudge had a reaction. It was when this news was announced that her wailing finally stopped and she fell asleep in Guido's arms. The little forklift beamed and kissed her.

"Well", Doc announced with a smile, "it sure seems that we got a lot to be thankful for _t_ _his_ Thanksgiving."

"I'll say", everyone agreed.

And boy, was Thanksgiving Day a day to celebrate that year. Maybe Fudge had been abandoned by her mother, but they had something very special to be thankful for. It was official that Fudge had a family right there in Radiator Springs.

* * *

Fifteen years later:

Over the next decade and a half, Luigi and Guido as well as the other townsfolk ended up learning a little bit about Fudge's mother through some investigations carried out by ACAFCA as well as things they'd seen on the news. It turned out that Doc was right. Fudge's mother _had_ given them a fake name.

Her real name was Dawn Hathaway and it was obvious that she wasn't gonna come back for her daughter anytime soon. Why? Because she was a murderer. She had killed fifteen people, including the wife of Fudge's father after she found out that he'd had an affair with her, which caused her to get pregnant. When she passed through Radiator Springs, she was on her way to California. From there, she got on a boat and left the country. Nobody knew where she went.

As for her father, he was a very busy man. The residents of Radiator Springs weren't sure _exactly_ what he did, but he travelled a lot and didn't really have time for a family. In fact, ACAFCA emailed him (best way to get in touch with him) about Fudge and, fifteen years later, he _still_ hadn't responded.

Most of this Fudge knew, but some of it, she didn't.

"Hi!"

Luigi and Guido turned around to find their fifteen-year-old daughter standing there. She was still in pyjamas and she looked like she'd just woken up.

" _Ciao_ , Fudgie!" both of them greeted her.

"Did you sleep well?" Luigi wanted to know.

She nodded. "Yeah... What about you guys?"

"Yes, I slept very well", Luigi replied.

" _Si_ ", Guido added. " _Grazie_."

Luigi beamed at Fudge. "Today is a very special day, Fudge."

The teenaged girl smiled too. "I know."

"I can't believe that fifteen years ago today, we got the adoption certificate in the mail."

"I know!" Fudge repeated. "I don't remember it, but I know it was a great day!"

Both of her fathers smiled at her warmly.

"Let's go over to Flo's", Luigi suggested.

"Hi, guys!" Fudge called to the rest of her family when they arrived at Flo's that morning.

"Happy Fudge Day!" everyone shouted back.

She grinned. "Thanks!"

Fudge Day was a day the townsfolk of Radiator Springs celebrated in late November in honour of Fudge's adoption and reminded her of how much they meant to her. She wasn't a customer, but when she arrived, she changed all of their lives forever and brought joy that the small town once lacked.

Luigi and Guido both looked at their daughter and then each other and smiled. They thought that it was kinda funny. They had always considered Fudge's mother a "devil woman" for abandoning Fudge, but it was a devil that had brought an angel into their lives. And when they looked back at that angel, they were both thinking the same thing.

 _I love you, Fudge Rossi-Topolino._

 **Ugh. Not sure if I liked this, but it's all I got.**

 **So, there's the story of how Fudge got adopted by Luigi and Guido. I'm hoping that that all made sense. I know the part explaining what happened to Fudge's parents is kinda random, but I wanted you guys to know that and I wasn't sure how else to do it. I can't imagine Fudge ever meeting them, but that might change.**

 **Disclaimer:** **Obviously, I do not own** _ **Cars**_ **, but I own Fudge, Dawn AKA Celeste and Steve. Also, as far as I know, the town of Ashgrove and the organisation ACAFCA (American Child Adoption and Foster Care Association) were made up by me. If they are, for whatever reason, real, then it was not intentional.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed this one. I am next planning on fixing up** _ **Fudge vs. Chick**_ **and then since the rest of my old ones,** _ **The Fabulous Hudson Hornet**_ **and the story of Doc's death are going in** _ **Cars**_ _ **Origins: The Sweet Life of Fudge**_ **, the rest of the stories in this collection will be new ones. I've given a suggestion to write one about Fudge and Francesco and once I finish writing Fudge in** _ **Cars 3**_ **, which is what I'm doing now (I'm up to the Florida 500), I'll try to write that.**


	7. Fudge vs Chick: Part 1

**It seems to me like the _Cars_ FFN page has been kind of quiet lately. So, I've come to fix that. Not all heroes wear capes, guys!**

 **Here is another new-old story for you. This was personally my favourite in this collection, but first of all, I feel like that's like being the healthiest item at McDonald's! XD Second of all, I still did have to make some changes to make what I was aiming for Chick's motivations to be a little clearer. The way I worded it sounded unrealistic and even if this is still unrealistic, at least you can see what I was going for. T** **his fic takes place halfway between the first two** _ **Cars**_ **movies, making Fudge eight years old in this one.**

 **So, without further ado, here is..**

 **Fudge vs Chick**

 **Part 1**

It was a nightmare that the green race car known as Chick Hicks was all too familiar with. Lightning McQueen had won _again_! He thought racing in the Piston Cup would be easier once Strip "The King" Weathers retired. But no. Lightning, the young hot shot, came onto the scene and won every race. Sure, Chick had won the 2006 Piston Cup, but Lightning had just given that to him, let him win (though there were still some that were convinced that that, along with his little detour to Radiator Springs on the way to the big tiebreaker race, was simply a publicity stunt).

Reporters were swarming Lightning and his team. Chick glared at them all. Lightning was the worst of them all, but the others were almost as bad. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet. Why did _Lightning_ get one of the best Piston Cup racers of all time as his crew chief and not _him_? That blue forklift that didn't even speak _English_! But he held the record for the fastest pit stops ever recorded in Piston Cup history. And that human baby McQueen called a cheerleader. Lightning said something to reporters that Chick couldn't hear before kissing said human baby on the cheek. Well, Chick had had enough of all of them. It was time to do something about them. Lightning always stole victories from him? Well, two could play at that game!

* * *

Chick had heard a lot about the small town Lightning had gotten lost in. Radiator Springs, Arizona. But he'd never actually _been_ there before. Until now, that is. It was a week later and he was determined to get his revenge.

"What does McQueen even _see_ in this town?!" Chick wondered, looking around of the small town. "There's nothin' _here_!"

"Isn't that Chick Hicks?" Doc wondered from his spot at Flo's, knowing full well that it was.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Sarge demanded suspiciously.

"He better not try anythin' funny." That was Sheriff.

"Oh, he won't", Doc assured everyone. "I got my eye on him."

Just as Chick was wondering where to start with his plan to get revenge on the entire town of Radiator Springs, one of the residents caught his eye. The human baby, or _Fudge_ , as they called her (why anybody would want to call their child _Fudge_ was beyond Chick). She was running out of her home, Luigi's Casa Della Tires, the tyre store her adoptive parents, Luigi and Guido, owned and ran, something clenched tightly in her fist.

Chick grinned curiously. What was she up to? He decided to try and find out.

"Hey, Fudge!" that tow truck, Mater, greeted her. "McQueen and Sally done headed up to the Wheel Well. Wanna come wit' me up there to spy on 'em?"

The eight-year-old grinned. "Okay!" She ran over to the tow truck, leapt into his truck bed and the two were off. Neither of them were aware that Chick was following them.

At first, Chick thought that spying on Fudge and the others was a bad move. They didn't do anything. McQueen and his girlfriend for the last two and a half years were just talking, not even making out or anything like that. And the human and tow truck were watching, curious to see if anything was gonna happen between them. It was boring, really.

But Chick's patience was rewarded. Soon, Fudge was left alone. Lightning and Sally challenged each other to another friendly race back to town and Mater had seemingly grown bored with the Wheel Well and was heading back to town too.

"Can't I stay a little longer?" Fudge had begged the tow truck when he announced that he was leaving.

"But... how is you gonna git back to town?" Mater wondered.

"I can walk!" the eight-year-old assured him. "It's not very far. And I _swear_ I know the way! If I'm not back in, like, an hour, you can come looking for me. _Please_!"

Maybe none of the others would've agreed to this, but Mater, not being as mature and practical as the rest of his friends, did.

"Yes!" Fudge cheered. " _Grazie_ , Mater!" Since her adoptive parents were Italian, Fudge was fluent in the language and used it frequently.

And it was when Fudge was all alone that Chick witnessed something big happen. Even Chick himself couldn't believe what he saw. He grinned as Fudge, shaken up and horrified after what had happened, sped off as fast as she could. For him, it was perfect. He could use this for his revenge. That way, he wouldn't have to stick around this godforsaken town any longer (after all, that would just create suspicion) Operation Chick versus Radiator Springs was about to begin! **(AN: I'm not sure if I like how I worded that part, but I don't want you guys to know what happened there yet. Although, if you've already read this story, you'd know.)**

* * *

If there was one thing that Chick Hicks hated, it was waiting. Well, actually, Chick hated a lot of things. Lightning McQueen and everyone else from Radiator Springs (obviously). Coming in second or worse (again obviously). Being reminded of the time he was booed offstage after receiving his first-ever Piston Cup trophy. But waiting was way up the list. Waiting for his first Piston Cup. And now, waiting for the next race. That was when he could begin putting Operation Chick versus Radiator Springs into place.

Luckily for Chick, Fudge was pretty easy to spot in the crowd at the packed speedway. She was the only human in the pits. Even though vehicles and humans generally co-existed pretty well, there was sometimes tension among the different species. Some of it from the Civil Rights Movement back in the 1960s, but some of it was over little things like some cars believing that humans didn't belong at these races and especially not in the pits. Yet Lightning insisted Fudge belonged there because he wanted her there.

The problem was that Fudge was only eight years old, a child, and the crowd was huge. Put those things together and none of the cars from Radiator Springs wanted to take their eyes off her. In fact, Luigi had her sit on his hood for most of the race and if she moved off of his hood, someone would ask every few minutes, making sure at least one of them could see the little human girl, or, at the very least, knew where she _was_. After she'd gotten lost when they arrived at the tiebreaker race in Los Angeles, they were taking no chances. It wasn't like Chick could talk to her _during_ the race, but before or after, he had to get a moment to talk to her. But how?

For once, Chick didn't mind that Lightning had won. He didn't mind that he took third (one of the rookies, Cal Weathers, The King's nephew, took second). He didn't mind because soon, revenge would be his. He just hung back, keeping an eye on Fudge to see if she would be separated from the group.

"Fudgie, are you okay?" Luigi asked her, concerned.

She nodded. "Yeah... Why?"

"It is just that... You have been very quiet lately." He pulled a strand of hair from her face, looking at his daughter worriedly. "Is there something wrong?"

"No... No... I'm fine. But... I need the bathroom."

Luigi sighed. He didn't really want Fudge out of his sight, but she was the only girl from Radiator Springs who had come to this race. Sally, Flo and Lizzie were all at home. He didn't have much of a choice. "Okay... Do you know where the bathrooms are?"

Fudge nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you think you can find your way back to the sponsor tent?" He gestured to it. "I will meet you there."

"Okay!" Fudge ran off.

Fudge was lying. She didn't need the bathroom at all. She just had to get away from Luigi. As much as she loved him, she didn't wanna talk about what had happened at the Wheel Well a couple of days before. However, little did Fudge know, her problems were about to get at least ten times worse. Probably even more.

Just as Fudge turned around to see if Luigi or any of the others were still looking at her (they probably weren't; she couldn't even _see_ them), she felt herself hit something hard and metal. A car. As she fell onto the floor, she could see that it wasn't just _any_ car. It was Chick Hicks.

Even though she didn't have much personal contact with Chick, Fudge had heard him talk to others and knew what he was like. So, when she ran into him, she was expecting him to launch into insults and criticisms about how she needed to watch where she was going.

So, I think you can understand why the girl was surprised when the first words out of his mouth were, "Sorry! I didn't see you there! You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine", Fudge responded in a tone that meant she wanted the conversation to be over. However, it had only just begun.

Chick blocked her as she tried to keep walking. "Fudge, right?"

Fudge paused. "Yeah." Since when did he know her name? Or care about her enough to actually _use_ it?

"Hey, listen, I've been meanin' to talk to ya! I need your help with somethin'!"

"Why do you need _my_ help?" the eight-year-old wondered.

"You're just the right human for the job", Chick explained. "And it's a very important job!"

"I don't wanna do anything for _you_!" Fudge insisted, trying to get past him. She wondered what made him _possibly_ think she'd agree to whatever it was he wanted her to do. _He's really stupid!_ she thought to herself.

"Okay", he agreed so casually that it almost scared Fudge. "I get it. No-one should force ya to do somethin' ya don't wanna do. I just hope no-one finds out any of your secrets."

Fudge was puzzled and a little afraid. "What?"

"Nothin'. It's just... If ya have any, ya know, _secrets_ ya wouldn't want anyone to know and they got out, surely _I_ wouldn't have anythin' to do with it."

Fudge narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She was young and naïve, but she wasn't stupid. She knew what Chick was saying. "You know something about me, don't you?"

He gave her a cocky grin. "I might."

" **WHAT DO YOU KNOW, CHICK?!** " Fudge demanded.

"I know what you did at that Wheel Well place."

Fudge looked horrified before she narrowed her eyes again. "Oh, yeah?!" she challenged him. "What?!"

Chick kept his grin as he told Fudge exactly what he saw her do.

"How do you know that?!" she demanded, shocked.

"I was there. I saw you."

Oh, yeah. Fudge remembered seeing Chick.

"Please don't tell!" Fudge begged.

"Well..." The racer pretended to think about it. "I might."

" _PLEASE DON'T TELL_!"

"All right. I won't tell. _If_ ya do me this one favour."

Fudge paused. She was trapped. Either way, Chick got what he wanted. It was Fudge versus Chick. And Fudge couldn't win.

"All right, Chick", she sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

* * *

Two days later, Fudge was in Doc's garage. She remembered the first time she'd ever been in there. When she was four, about two years before Lightning arrived, Doc had been trying to give her a shot. So, she ran away and hid in the garage, unable to read the signs ordering everyone to STAY OUT (Fudge was only just learning how to read at the time). That was when she discovered Doc's Piston Cups and his big secret of being a famous race car. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet.

Now, Fudge was there to protect her own big secret. Looking around at the garage, she wondered how she could do this. This was her _family_ she was thinking of doing this to. Doc had delivered her and Guido and Luigi had watched her being born. They were the only family she had. Her own mother had abandoned her only hours after giving birth and, despite the best efforts of the townsfolk and an adoption agency, they had been unable to track her or any of her family down (they were convinced that when she was found in labour just outside of the small town, she'd given Doc a fake name, but they couldn't know for sure). They were there for her when she had nobody. Now, Chick wanted her to do this to them. She couldn't.

But then she remembered how serious Chick had been in his promise to spread her secret around Radiator Springs if she didn't.

"How will you know?" Fudge had asked Chick at the race. She was worried that he would tell anyway.

"What?"

"How will you know if I do it or not?"

"Tell ya what. I'll come visit Radiation Stinks in a couple of days and see if you've done a good job", Chick had informed her.

" _Radiator Springs_!" Fudge had corrected him. Why did _everyone_ say Radiation Stinks? Lightning's agent, Harv, that social worker that tried to take her away and now Chick.

"Whatever!" Chick had snapped. "Next race is in Phoenix anyway. Radiation Stinks is on the way there. I'll drop in and see how you've gone."

"Do you have to? Please don't make me do this!" Fudge had pleaded.

"Fine! But your dads are right over there!" He had gestured in the direction of the Rust-Eze sponsor tent. "I could easily go over there and tell 'em that _you_ , their precious daughter-"

"Okay, okay!" the eight-year-old had reluctantly agreed.

The conversation echoed in her mind as she stood alone in the garage. The scene up at the Wheel Well replayed in her mind as well. She couldn't let anybody find out about that. It would ruin her life forever. Fudge cringed and closed her eyes as she reached for some spare tools and a crumpled-up five-dollar note lying around the garage. She stuffed them inside her pocket as quickly as she could before darting out of the garage before anybody saw her.

* * *

"Somethin' wrong, Doc?" Sheriff asked, concerned. He had a check-up scheduled and when Doc wasn't inside the clinic, he went to look for him to find him in his garage, muttering to himself in frustration.

"You bet there's somethin' wrong!" Doc responded. "My tools just got stolen!"

"What?!" Sheriff gasped.

"I had my spare tools here", he gestured to a bare part of the garage, "but someone must've taken 'em!"

Before Sheriff could come up with a response to that, the doors to the garage opened. It was Sarge and he did _not_ look happy. In fact, he looked just about ready to go through the roof.

"Sheriff! There you are! I'm glad I found you! There is a no-good rotten thief around here!"

" _You_ got robbed _too_?!" Sheriff asked. "Doc here was just tellin' me the same thing."

"What they take from _you_?" Doc quizzed Sarge.

"Fifty bucks, pair of night vision goggles and a whole roll of stamps!" he replied. "Stolen! Stolen just like that!"

" _Fifty_ bucks?!" Sheriff echoed.

"I just got a couple of tools stolen", Doc reported.

"No money?" Sarge sounded surprised.

Doc paused, looking around the garage. "Come to think of it, I could've sworn I had five bucks in here... Now, _that's_ gone."

"Hmmm..." Sheriff narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Somethin's not right around here."

They had no idea.

* * *

"Ramone? You _sure_ you're okay, honey?" Flo questioned worriedly as everyone gathered at Flo's V8 Café later that evening.

" _Yes_!" Ramone snapped, annoyed. "You guys have asked me that ten times already! And I've only been here two minutes!"

"Come on, Ramone, baby!" Flo urged her husband. "It's obvious somethin's botherin' you. We just wanna know what."

"Well, it would bother _you_ too if you just got robbed!" Ramone shot back.

The entire crowd went silent. Fudge had just arrived at Flo's with Guido and Luigi and her eyes widened in fear, her heart pounding.

"You got _robbed_?!" Flo gasped.

"Yeah! Some selfish idiot took a can of green paint, an airbrush and a twenty!"

"Poor baby", Flo commented sympathetically.

"He's not the only one", Doc piped up.

Everyone's attention shifted to him. "What?!"

"I got tools and money stolen", Doc announced. "Sarge got money and other stuff taken too."

"And so have I!"

Lightning McQueen had just pulled up at Flo's and overheard the conversation.

"What they steal from you, rookie?"

"Some racing trophies, an entire box of racing merchandise and a hundred bucks!" he answered. "That merchandise was supposed to go to that charity auction next month!"

"A _hundred_ bucks?!" Sally echoed in disbelief.

"I swear", Sarge remarked, shaking his hood in disgust, "when I find out who this no-good rotten thief is, they're gonna wish they never even _considered_ stealin' from us!"

"Yeah!" Ramone agreed. "They ain't gonna know what hit 'em! Don't they realise how much this petty little crime's gonna interfere with our work?! I gotta order some more of that paint and another airbrush! It's gonna cost a fortune!"

"And some of that merchandise was irreplaceable!" Lightning added.

Funnily enough (not), their conversation wasn't helping Fudge at all. It seemed like with every word, their voices rose louder and louder. The louder their voices got, the worse Fudge felt. She'd never seen Lightning this angry before. Or Ramone. For an instant, she was tempted to own up. Only for a moment, though. If they knew, they'd hate her. Besides, what if Chick told them about... No! She couldn't.

* * *

Fudge couldn't sleep that night. She didn't feel well. In fact, she felt sick with guilt. She couldn't believe she'd really done that. And she had a lot more to do. She wished it was over. She wished it hadn't even begun. _Just go to sleep!_ a voice in her head screamed at her. Her problems would still be there in the morning, but at least sleep would allow her to escape them for a while. Or so she thought.

That night, Fudge had a dream where everyone in Radiator Springs had turned into horrible monsters who were chasing after her.

"What do you want?!" Fudge demanded fearfully, running away from them all. "Please don't hurt me! What do you want?!"

"We know what you did, Fudge!" Doc informed her as the RS gang surrounded her.

"You're a traitor!" Lightning added.

"Give us our stuff back!" Sarge ordered.

"Why, Fudge?!" Guido, who, for some reason, could speak English in her dream, demanded. "Why are you working for Chick?!"

"Because she's a traitor!" Lightning insisted.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Fudge shouted, beginning to cry. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Why don't you ask _Chick_ to protect you?!" Flo scoffed.

" **I HATE CHICK!** " Fudge argued. "I don't _want_ to work for him! I never did!"

"Yeah, we know!" Luigi snapped. "Chick told us everything!"

"Even... what happened at the Wheel Well?" Fudge questioned nervously.

" _Of course_ he told me what happened at the Wheel Well!" Guido responded. "I can't believe you! I _hate_ you, Fudge! **I** _ **HATE**_ **YOU!** "

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

"We'll show you an accident!" Fillmore moved in closer and...

* * *

Fudge bolted up in her bed. " _ **PLEASE DON'T KILL ME**_ **!** "

A couple of seconds later, Fudge heard the sound of her the inside door between her room and Luigi's being opened. Light flooded in from the hall as Luigi appeared in the doorway.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, concerned, rolling closer to his daughter's bed.

Fudge nodded, panting as she lay back down. "Yeah... Bad dream." And that was only a fraction of what was bothering her. She glanced at the clock. 3:17. Less than twenty minutes since she last remembered looking at the clock.

"Poor baby." Luigi gave her a kiss and pulled the covers back over her.

"I'm okay", she assured him. "You don't have to stay with me." But knowing Luigi, he would.

But... surprisingly, he hesitated. "Are you sure?"

Another nod. "You go back to sleep."

"Okay... Let me know if you need me." Luigi kissed her yet again before driving slowly and uncertainly out of the room.

* * *

Normally, as the sun rose over Radiator Springs, Sarge and Fillmore would begin their morning routine, which had been around the town for as long as the two of them had. However, that morning, as Sarge began the reveille music and rose the American flag, he awaited for the sound of an electric guitar, but it never came.

" **WILL YOU TURN THAT DISRESPECT-** " He stopped. He couldn't finish his sentence. Fillmore wasn't playing "that disrespectful junk". He'd been about to yell at him purely out of habit. They went through it every morning. It was like they were acting out a play, but now, Sarge was gonna have to do some adlibbing.

He entered Fillmore's dome to find the hippie bus searching the place up and down.

"Lookin' for somethin'?"

"My Hendrix CDs got stolen!" Fillmore complained. He turned to his best friend. "So have several cans of my organic fuel and two bucks! Who would do somethin' like that, man?"

"I have no idea", Sarge muttered. _Why would_ anybody _want to steal those god-awful_ _Hendrix CDs and that freak juice?_ the Jeep wondered to himself.

"If they didn't have any money for the fuel, they could've just said, man", Fillmore went on. "I wasn't gonna, ya know, bite 'em or anythin'. I'm not violent, man."

"Well, I am!" Sarge reminded him. "And I'm gonna be when I find this thief!"

* * *

"So, that's five of us now", Lightning mused at Flo's later that morning when Sarge and Fillmore told everyone.

"Where _are_ those oil cans?!" Flo grumbled to herself from inside. "I just got those sent to me yesterday. I didn't even have time to unpack them!"

"Better make that six", Doc corrected Lightning.

"They take any money, baby?" Ramone wanted to know.

"Yeah, so far, the one thing _everyone's_ had taken is money", Sheriff chimed in.

"I don't know", Flo responded. "Let me check." There was a pause. "Yep. All the money from yesterday's gone!"

"How much was that?" Sheriff wanted to know.

"Close to eighty bucks."

"How much money does this person _need_?!" Lightning wondered.

"This person's already stolen over two hundred and fifty bucks", Sheriff commented, adding it up in his head.

"More than that!" Luigi piped up.

Everyone looked at him as he, Guido and Fudge arrived at Flo's.

"You got robbed too, did you, Luigi?" Doc asked.

The Fiat nodded. "Yes."

"Well, that's half of us now", Doc commented. "What they take from you?"

"A whole box of whitewall tyres, some racing flags and about sixty dollars."

Fudge remained quiet. All she wanted to do was run as far away from Flo's as possible, but she couldn't. If she did, everyone would suspect her of having something to do with it. Instead, she had to sit there and listen to everyone swear they would kill this "no-good rotten thief" if they ever found out who it was.

"You okay, Fudge?" Lightning asked all of a sudden.

The eight-year-old was snapped out of her thoughts and jumped a mile. "What?!"

"Whoa!" Lightning exclaimed, surprised by her reaction. "Something wrong?"

"Fudge had a bad dream last night", Luigi explained before Fudge could.

"Did you?" Sally questioned, sounding sympathetic.

"Yeah", Fudge sighed, staring down at the ground. "I didn't sleep well because of it... I've been having nightmares a lot lately." Okay. _That_ wasn't actually true, but Fudge got the feeling that it would be soon and this was her way of giving her family a heads-up. Besides, ever since she was little, she'd been prone to nightmares, so it was believable.

"Oh, Fudgie!" Luigi cried. "You never told me that! I had no idea!"

"It's okay. It wasn't that bad at first, but they got worse last night."

"Poor Fudgie!" Luigi gave her a kiss. "You know, you could have told me if something was bothering you."

Fudge continued to keep her eyes fixed firmly on the ground. "Yeah..." she agreed uncertainly. "I know."

* * *

Over the next week, the little thefts of Radiator Springs continued. Fudge had taken Sally's phone, some random junk from Mater, snow globes, bumper stickers and postcards out of Lizzie's shop, some flower seeds that Red was saving for the right time of year and some important files from Sheriff's office. Fudge also took money from everyone, whether it be a couple of dimes from Mater or a fifty from Sheriff.

All of the items were hidden. Everything that was small enough was hidden in a locked box under her bed, which she bought to keep her journal in. Some of the larger things were hidden in the attic. She knew Luigi and Guido would never find them. They hardly ever went in there. Only at Christmas to get out the ornaments and maybe once or twice during the year to retrieve something or get rid of stuff.

* * *

Things got worse after about a week when Chick himself came to town. He collected all of the money she'd stolen (he didn't _force_ her to do that, but if any secrets got out if she didn't, it would be a tremendous shame) and saw the trouble she'd caused with her thefts.

"Good job", he congratulated her. "Your secret's safe with me... for _now_!"

" _Please_!" Fudge begged. "I don't wanna do this anymore! Just let me give everyone their stuff back and we can all forget that this ever happened!"

"Fine. If that's the way you want it, I really don't care. I'll just go and pay your dads a friendly visit and tell 'em-"

" **NO!** " Fudge cut him off. " **PLEASE DON'T!** "

Chick nodded, satisfied. "That's what I thought. Now, so far, your work ain't been bad, but now, you gotta step it up a little."

 _Oh, boy!_ Fudge thought. "All right. What do I do now?"

* * *

"What the hell happened to that paint?!" Ramone groaned, talking to nobody in particular. And he knew what had happened to that paint. Someone had stolen it. The "no-good rotten thief", they'd been dubbed as around the town struck again. This was the first time they'd struck the same person twice. But why were they targeting Ramone _again_? There was still one of them that hadn't been targeted yet.

"You missin' paints?" Flo questioned, entering his shop.

"Yeah... They got me _twice_!"

"What colours?!" Flo wanted to know. She sounded desperate.

"Blue, red and orange... Why?"

"Come see for yourself!"

When Ramone left his shop, he couldn't believe what he saw! Red, blue and orange paint was sloshed carelessly over many walls of the town as well as the Stanley statue. Red's flowers had been trampled on, the poor fire truck in tears at the sight of them. One of the shops that was restored when the town got put back on the map had a broken window, an empty paint can, lying inside the shop. Tyres that had been displayed outside Luigi's were strewn all about the road. All of the residents were in shock.

"So, the no-good rotten thief has decided to take up vandalism as well, have they?!" Sarge grumbled. "When I get my tyres on 'em..."

Fudge's eyes widened in horror when she saw the damage done. Not even _she_ knew how it had gotten this bad. The little girl got up in the dark to do her terrible deed before anybody else (she didn't even need to set an alarm; her guilt kept her awake most of the night!). And since the town had been pitch black, she hadn't seen how bad it was. Now, she wished she hadn't.

"Doc! Sheriff!" Sally exclaimed as the two of them appeared, having just noticed the damage done. "Look at this!"

Chick had arrived behind Doc and Sheriff and spoke up before either of them could. "Oh, _no_!" he gasped sarcastically. "Your town's _totalled_!"

Everyone narrowed their eyes suspiciously. He seemed to know something about what had happened. Or he just didn't care that about the damage. After all, it was obvious that he never liked Radiator Springs or anybody in it.

Doc and Sheriff looked at each other.

"I think", Doc announced finally, "it's time for a town meetin'."

Several of the others had a feeling he might say that. So, in less than five minutes, the entire town was gathered at the courthouse for the meeting.

* * *

"What are we supposed to do about this?" Sally wondered.

"There's nothin' we _can_ do till we catch whoever's doin' this!" Flo responded.

"And then we'll make him-" Ramone began.

"Or her", Fillmore jumped in.

Ramone rolled his eyes. "Or _her_ regret it for the rest of his- or _her_ ", he added, glaring at Fillmore as if to say, _Happy?_ , "life."

"I can assure you, the culprit will be caught and justice will be done", Sheriff promised.

"I hope so!" Luigi voiced his opinion. "Guido and I have a daughter here! We do not want her thinking that this is acceptable!"

"Luigi, it's okay", Fudge assured him quietly. "I know that's bad. And stupid. And I shouldn't do that." She really did.

"It is _not_ okay!" he insisted. "This person is a danger to our town! And a danger to _you_!"

"In the meantime", Sheriff went on, "Doc and I want everyone here to-"

"I think I know who the culprit is!" Lightning cut in. "Chick Hicks! What _else_ would he be doing here?! Besides, you saw how he got when he saw the vandalism."

Immediately, most of the others began yelling things like, "Arrest him!" or "Throw him out of town!" Fudge joined in with a gleeful, "Let's kick him so hard he flies off to the moon and we never see or hear from him again!"

Now, wouldn't that be nice? However, it was wishful thinking. Still, an eight-year-old can dream, right?

"But it can't be Chick!" Doc reasoned. "He's only been here a couple days! This person's been stealin' for about a week now! Way before Chick got here!"

"Well, if it's not Chick, who _is_ it?" Fudge wondered. Or, rather, _pretended_ to wonder.

"Good question, Fudge." That was Doc.

It _was_ a good question, but it was one nobody could answer. So, it didn't take long for the meeting to be adjourned. As soon as it was, Fudge bolted to the door, trying to be the first one out of there.

"Whoa! Slow down, Fudge!" Sheriff instructed her.

"I wanna go!" she insisted.

"Why?" about six or seven of them asked in unison.

"I had another nightmare", she explained, which was true.

"Poor Fudgie", Luigi sympathised.

"What's that got to do with getting out of here?" Sarge wondered.

"It kept me awake last night! I wanna go home and take a nap!"

"Okay", Luigi announced as Guido scooped Fudge up. "We are going home now. We will put you to bed if you want."

Fudge nodded. "I do!"

* * *

So, that's what they did. Only Fudge wasn't tired at all. She just took off her shoes (she didn't bother to change into pyjamas) and pretended to fall asleep. Guido and Luigi smiled at her fondly before Luigi announced that he had a lot of work to do. He had recently ordered some new tyres, but he'd only got half of what he asked for. One box didn't show up and two more were not what he ordered. So, he had to call the company he got his stock from to sort that out.

Guido wasn't sure of what to do. They didn't have any customers to take care of. Fudge was asleep (well, that's what he _thought_ , anyway). Luigi was busy. Soon, he heard the dryer beeping to indicate that it was done. So, he began the task of folding his daughter's now-clean clothes and carrying them up to her room.

He tapped on the door lightly. "Fudge?" he asked, trying to be loud enough for Fudge to hear him, but not loud enough to wake her up if she was asleep. "(Are you awake?)"

Fudge, who had been lounging in her bed, leafing through a kids' magazine, threw it on the floor as quickly (and as _quietly_ ) as she could before making sure the covers were over her properly. Then Guido came into the room.

Guido knew his daughter. Fudge couldn't fool him. He knew for a fact that she was awake. He was aware of things that Fudge did in her sleep that even Fudge herself wasn't. So, of course, she couldn't imitate them, giving away that she wasn't asleep. Besides, that magazine on the floor had been on the bedside table when she supposedly fell asleep. Still, the little blue forklift ignored it and moved over to her closet to put the clothes in and then he left.

( _Why was Fudge pretending to be asleep?_ ) he wondered to himself in Italian, making his way up to the attic, deciding it was time to clean it out. His daughter's behaviour was very strange. She _had_ been acting strange lately and Guido wished he knew why. He was worried about her. Little did Guido know, he was about to find out and it was gonna land him in _very_ big trouble.

Guido was just going through some boxes, seeing what could stay in there and what could be thrown out or given away when he spotted something shiny in the corner. When he rolled closer to it and picked it up, he gasped. It was Ramone's paint! What was it doing in his attic? Guido thought about his daughter's suspicious behaviour. Unless... _No!_ Guido told himself. There was no way Fudge would do that... Was there? No. Of course not. But maybe-

"Guido!"

The little forklift turned around at the sound of Sheriff's voice and headed into the store area where the police car was waiting for him. Then he realised he was still holding the paint can, so he hid it behind him.

"Can I talk to you?"

Guido was confused, but nodded. "Okay..."

Sheriff took a breath. "Somethin' that I- and some of the others as well- find sorta suspicious is that... So far... You're the only one that hasn't been targeted by..."

Guido looked down nervously. He knew where this was going. Of course everyone was gonna find that suspicious. However, he told himself not to worry. _He_ knew he was innocent and they had no actual proof of-

Sheriff narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What are you hidin'?"

Guido said nothing.

"Let me see it!" Sheriff ordered.

Guido sighed, knowing that he was defeated. Reluctantly, he showed Sheriff the paint can.

"Where did that come from?!" Sheriff demanded, beginning to get less suspicious and more certain that Guido was guilty.

Guido replied in Italian, which he knew Sheriff didn't understand, so he also gestured to attempt to make it clear that it came from the attic, but he had no idea how it got there.

"Hmmm... Well, why don't I take a look in your attic?"

Guido paused, but nodded. He hoped that the paint can was the only thing that was in there. He had no idea, though. He hadn't gotten very far into cleaning the place out.

No such luck. Guido could only watch on in horror as Sheriff unearthed more and more of the stolen items. Cans of oil and Fillmore's organic fuel. The night vision goggles from Sarge's. Lightning's missing merchandise. Fudge's watch (in order to avoid suspicion, she'd hidden her watch and the tin containing her money and claimed they'd been stolen).

"What's all this?"

The poor forklift didn't even know what to say. It didn't really matter anyway. Sheriff wouldn't be able to understand him.

"Follow me to the impound!" Sheriff instructed him as he confiscated everything. "You gotta lotta explainin' to do!"

Guido had no choice but to do as Sheriff said. As they rolled past Flo's, several of the other townsfolk approached them.

"Why would you do this, Guido?!" Lightning demanded. "You _traitor_!"

"Yeah, what you got against us?!" Ramone added.

"Not cool, man!" Fillmore chimed in.

Guido refused to answer them as he got put in the impound. He was scared. He'd been arrested once before (when he and the rest of the town refused to let social workers take Fudge away) and he could now say from experience that it never got easier. On top of that, all of his friends hated him. He didn't know how things could get any worse.

 **To be continued...**

 ***Sheepish smile* I know, I know. Things look real bad for the car-acters right now. But it'll get better... Reviews?**


	8. Fudge vs Chick: Part 2

**Now, I know things were looking pretty bad when we left off and this part starts off kinda angst-y as well, but there's gonna be some major fluff too! I hope you enjoy that!**

 **So, let's get into it, shall we?**

 **Fudge Vs. Chick: Part 2**

Meanwhile, Guido's daughter was completely oblivious to all of this. Unlike everyone else in town. Even Luigi, who had spent hours on the phone trying to sort out his missing tyres, was at least aware that his best friend had been suspected of being the culprit. If not, that he'd been taken to the impound. Not Fudge, though. She had spent the last couple of hours up in her room, pretending to be asleep. Now, as the sky grew dark, she was acting like she'd just woken up, heading back to the store area of Casa Della Tires to find Luigi in his office, searching through mountains of paperwork.

He looked up to see Fudge standing there. " _Ciao_!" he greeted her warmly, moving the phone to one side, so that whoever was on the other end wouldn't hear the Fiat talking to his daughter. "How was your nap, Fudge?"

She shrugged. "It was okay... I didn't have another nightmare, so that's good."

"You must have been tired to sleep for that long", Luigi commented with a smile.

"Yeah..." Fudge murmured.

"Listen, Fudge, I am very busy", Luigi explained. "I need to take care of the tyres that did not come. Why don't you go over to Flo's? I will meet you over there as soon as I can."

"Okay!" Fudge took off.

"You should take a jacket!" Luigi, the super-protective father, called after her, placing the phone back in its original position.

"I'll be fine!" Fudge assured him.

It didn't take the eight-year-old long to realise Luigi was right. Now that it was November, Radiator Springs was getting colder. Plus, it was getting colder that day because it was getting darker. She was wishing that she'd taken Luigi's advice and got a jacket, but she didn't wanna go back to the tyre shop. Chick wanted her to do something unthinkable now and she was eager to get it over with.

Fudge glanced around the Cozy Cone. It was quiet. Maybe there were a few tourists around, but not many (they usually came in fleets in the summer) and none of her friends were there. Sally and Lightning, the only ones that really stayed around there, were having dinner up at the Wheel Well. Perfect. Fudge could easily get in there, do what she had to do and get out. Double checking that nobody was around, she ducked into the lobby to find what she'd been looking for.

Lightning's racing tyres! They'd just arrived the night before, ready for his next race, and Chick wanted Fudge to deflate them. It wouldn't hurt him in any way, Fudge knew that. They always did a last minute check on all their supplies before a race. It would just be too late to order new ones, meaning Lightning would have to drop out of that race.

"I can't believe Chick's making me do this!" Fudge muttered to herself, using scissors she'd found in the lobby to cut the tyres. "I just want this to be over soon!"

Then she spied some loose change on the desk and, for good measure (where Chick was concerned, anyway), she took it and stuffed it in the pocket of her jeans.

Meanwhile, Sarge and Fillmore had just closed up shop for the night and were about to head over to Flo's when they spotted something unusual.

"Why's the light on at the Cozy Cone?" Sarge wondered, narrowing his eyes. "Wasn't Sally at the Wheel Well with Lightning?"

"I don't know, man", Fillmore responded. Then he squinted. "Hey... Is that Fudge?"

Sarge also squinted, looking into the motel lobby. "I think it is."

"What's she doin'?"

"We're about to find out!" Sarge announced determinedly. "Come on, hippie! And be as quiet as you can!"

Fillmore wasn't sure about that. Still, he followed Sarge, the two of them creeping across the street to the lobby as quietly as they could.

"Two more to go..." Fudge murmured excitedly, eager to get the hell out of there. She'd already taken much longer than she wanted to. Sally and Lightning could be back any second!

Finally, she cut the last tyre. Nodding in satisfaction, Fudge picked up the (heavy) box to try and move it back where she found it. But before she could take a step with it, the eight-year-old was scared out of her wits by a voice bellowing, " **HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!** "

Fudge screamed. Sarge had really scared her. So much that she dropped the box on her feet (it hurt, but she didn't really care) and, on top of that, she wet her pants! Then she started bawling.

" **WELL, WELL, WELL!** " Sarge ranted, entering the lobby. Fillmore was right behind him, eyes wide in astonishment. " **LOOK WHAT WE HAVE HERE! THE NO-GOOD ROTTEN THIEF** ** _DID_** **TURN OUT TO BE ONE OF OUR OWN THIS WHOLE TIME!** "

Fudge just cried. She was sobbing too hard to speak. She didn't even know what _to_ say if she could. She was sunk. Besides, she'd always been kind of afraid of Sarge, always serious and a firm believer in good old-fashioned discipline. Still, even _he_ had never yelled at her like he was doing now.

" **OH,** ** _STOP_** **THAT PATHETIC NOISE, WILL YA?!** " Sarge ordered. " **WHAT THE** ** _HELL_** **WERE YOU** ** _THINKIN_** **', BRITTNEY ROSSI-TOPOLINO?!** " (Uh-oh! He called her by her _full_ _real_ name. The others only ever called her Brittney instead of Fudge when they were mad at her. So, she knew that she was in big, big trouble!) " **STEALIN',** **VANDALISIN' AND... WHAT WERE YOU DOIN' WITH THOSE TYRES?!** " He took a look in the box and saw the damaged tyres. " **OH!** ** _NOW_** **, YOU'VE JUST GONE TOO FAR!** "

With the box out of the way, Sarge and Fillmore could see the puddle underneath Fudge and her sopping wet jeans. She just stood there over the puddle helplessly, cowering and bawling her eyes out. She seemed so upset that Fillmore wanted to go to her and give her a hug, but one look from Sarge was all it took for him to stay where he was.

" **THAT'S** ** _DISGUSTING_** **!** " Sarge went on, gesturing to the puddle. " **YOU'RE NOT A BABY ANYMORE, BRITTNEY! SO, ACTING LIKE** **ONE ISN'T GONNA WORK ON ME! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU** ** _THINKING_** **?! WHAT WERE** **YOU SAYING TO LUIGI OVER AT THE COURTHOUSE EARLIER?! OH THAT'S RIGHT 'I KNOW** **THAT'S BAD AND STUPID AND I SHOULDN'T DO THAT'!** " He used a high voice to mimic her.

And that's when Sarge dropped a bomb on her.

" **DID YOU KNOW THAT GUIDO'S IN THE IMPOUND RIGHT NOW?! 'CAUSE THE** **OTHERS THINK** ** _HE'S_** **THE ONE THAT DID THIS?! DID YOU?!** ** _DID YOU_** **?!** "

Fudge's heart skipped a beat. She didn't think it would've been possible, but things just got worse than she thought. Much, _much_ worse!

" **DON'T YOU HAVE** ** _ANYTHING_** **TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?!** "

Fudge glanced up at Sarge with big, shiny blue eyes and tears flowing down her cheeks. He glared back at her, showing no sympathy whatsoever. Finally, for the first time since getting caught, Fudge spoke.

"I'm sorry!" she shouted at him and Fillmore. "Okay?!" She reached into her jeans pocket and clenched the money she stole in her fist. "I'm _sorry_!"

At the last word, she threw the coins on the ground with such force they practically bounced back up. Then she bolted out of the lobby, the coins still rattling on impact. Fillmore took off after her while Sarge cleaned up the puddle Fudge had left behind (reluctantly and making faces the whole time).

"I thought we were done with this when we got Fudge toilet-trained!" he grumbled to himself as he threw away the wet paper towel.

"Fudge!" Fillmore called after the girl as she fled. "Fudge!"

She ignored him and kept running. All she could think about was getting home as fast as she could. Unfortunately, Fillmore was faster than Fudge (hell, everyone in town was; she was the only human and humans couldn't go as fast as vehicles!), so he was quick to grab hold of her and pull her back gently.

" **NO!** " Fudge screamed, kicking and thrashing madly, trying to break free from Fillmore. " **LET** **ME GO!** "

"Hey, Fudge! It's all right, man!" he assured her sympathetically.

"I don't want _you_!" the eight-year-old yelped. " **I WANT LUIGI!** "

"It's all right, man!" Fillmore repeated.

" **GET OFF, FILLMORE! GET** ** _OFF_** **!** " Fudge ordered. "I'll scream if you don't let me go! I want Luigi! **LUIGI! LUIGI!** **_LUIGI_** **!** "

"Fudge-" Fillmore began, making another attempt to pull her in for a hug.

Fudge promised and she delivered. She let off the loudest, longest, shrillest scream she could possibly muster. Still, Fillmore refused to let her go.

"Hey!" a voice called out. "What's goin' on?!"

Both Fudge and Fillmore turned to find Doc and Sheriff there. Fillmore loosened his grip on the child and she tried to run.

Doc grabbed hold of her. "Fudge. What's wrong, kiddo?"

" **NO!** " she screamed through her tears. " **NO!** " She continued to thrash around.

Doc and Sheriff glanced at each other, puzzled. "What's goin' on?" Doc wondered.

" **LET ME GO!** " Fudge shrieked. Then she kicked Doc in the fender as hard as she could. " **OWWW!** " She clutched her foot, crying out in pain.

"Just let 'er go, Doc", Sheriff instructed. "We'll talk to 'er later."

"All right." The second Doc released her, Fudge was gone, limping a little, but still pretty fast, down the road.

Sheriff looked to Fillmore. "What the hell was _that_ all about?"

"I'll _tell_ you what that was all about!" Sarge piped up. "Fillmore and I just caught the culprit in the act!"

Neither of the other two could believe it. "What?!" That was both Doc _and_ Sheriff.

"Fudge is the thief, man!" Fillmore explained.

"No", Doc replied. "There's no way Fudge would do somethin' like that."

"We saw her, man!" Fillmore insisted.

"She cut up all of McQueen's tyres", Sarge added.

A pause followed.

"Well", Sheriff announced finally, "I think I'm gonna have to have a little talk with Fudge."

* * *

Meanwhile, Fudge ran as fast as her little legs could carry her back to Casa Della Tires. She couldn't believe it. Sarge and Fillmore knew and they were gonna tell everyone, no doubt. And... they'd all hate her! Especially Guido! Fudge hadn't known he was in the impound for this! She never intended for _that_ to happen. She just... hadn't stolen from him yet. _Now_ , she'd made an even bigger mess of everything than she thought. _Luigi!_ was Fudge's only thought. She had to tell him what was going on. He was gonna find out what she'd done anyway. She had to tell him about Chick's part in all this.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, Fudge-O!"

Fudge skidded to a halt in front of Lightning McQueen, who had just returned from his date with Sally. She had to stop quickly and fell over, sprawling across Lightning's hood and blubbering like a baby.

"Hey, hey!" the 95 racer exclaimed softly. "What's wrong?"

"Fudge, what's the matter, sweetie?" Sally added.

"No! I want Luigi!"

"Oh, sweetie, Luigi's busy!" Lightning informed her compassionately, bouncing her up and down on his hood a little. "He's gotta sort out his tyre order."

" **I WANT LUIGI! I WANT LUIGI!** " Fudge wailed, beginning to have a tantrum.

"Hey, hey! Come on! Let's get you home, Fudge. We'll wait for Luigi there, yeah?"

"I want Luigi!" was Fudge's only response.

"Come on." With Fudge still on his hood, Lightning headed off to Casa Della Tires. Sally announced that she had to go back to the Cozy Cone. This comment made Fudge feel sick because Sally would find out what she had done. Still, the Porsche just kissed Fudge and left.

Luigi was still on the phone and trying to look through his paperwork when they arrived. He glanced up, concerned, when he heard the sound of his daughter crying.

"Fudgie!" he cried, moving his phone to the side again. "Are you hurt?"

The eight-year-old shook her head. "Luigi!" She tried to run to him, arms out wide.

"Come on, Fudge-O!" Lightning grabbed hold of her gently and nudged her along. "Let's let Luigi finish his work. He'll come and see you soon!"

"I want Luigi!' Fudge repeated.

"Fudge, go with Lightning!" Luigi instructed her not unkindly. "Luigi will be there soon."

Lightning made motions to the Fiat to let him know that he was taking Fudge up to her room. Luigi nodded as if to say, _Okay_. Then he mouthed, _I am almost done_.

* * *

Lightning sat Fudge down on the bed in the middle of the room. That's when he noticed that her jeans were soaked.

"You had an accident, didn't you?"

"Yeah!" Fudge nodded and cried harder.

"Hey, hey! It's okay! Accidents happen." He gave her a hug. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

Fudge shook her head. "No! I wanna talk to Luigi!"

"Oh, you wanna tell Luigi what's wrong, do you? Okay. We're just gonna have to wait a little bit for him, okay?"

All Fudge could do was sit on the bed, sobbing her heart out. Lightning held the human close to him, rocking her like a baby. He thought it would help her feel a little better, but it just made her cry even harder. She was convinced that if he knew what she'd done, he would thrust her away from him.

"It's okay, sweetie", Lightning kept repeating soothingly, "it's okay, sweetie."

"I want Luigi!"

"I know you do. He's coming, Fudge-O", Lightning assured her. "Luigi'll be here soon."

"Soon?"

"Yeah, soon."

* * *

Finally...

"Hey, Fudge!" Lightning announced dramatically. "Look who's here!"

Fudge had had her face buried in Lightning's hood and had kinda been slobbering all over him, but those words made her shoot her head up immediately. Luigi was in the doorway and was coming closer to her.

"What's wrong, Fudgie?" the Italian wanted to know worriedly, giving his daughter the biggest cuddle he could.

Immediately, Fudge felt a little better. She adored Luigi's soothing accent and loving hugs. No matter what pain she was going through, Luigi could always make it that little more bearable with just his presence. Still, Fudge didn't answer. She didn't want to answer with Lightning still there.

The race car got the hint. "You want me to leave?"

Fudge nodded.

"Could you please close the curtains before you do?" Luigi asked.

"Oh! Sure." Lightning did as he was asked and Luigi thanked him for that as well as looking after Fudge. Then he was gone. Luigi and Fudge were alone.

"Fudgie?" Luigi began.

Fudge took a deep breath, ready to tell him everything. But then she made the mistake of looking into Luigi's eyes. They were warm brown eyes that were looking at her with concern. Fudge thought that if she told him, they'd only need half a second to change to blazing with anger. She looked away, crying harder.

"Fudgie?" Luigi repeated gently. "Are you afraid to tell me?" He could feel and hear her heart thumping rapidly in her chest.

"Ye- yeah", she stammered.

"It is me, baby." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Why are you so afraid? You can tell me anything. You know that."

"Exactly!" Fudge shouted. "It's _you_!" She lowered her voice, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on her hand as she rubbed it back and forth across the bedsheets. "Luigi... I love you... More than you will ever know... But if I tell you... you're gonna _hate_ me!" Her sobs grew louder.

Luigi sighed. "Fudge, look at Luigi."

"What?" She didn't look at him. She couldn't.

"Fudgie, you are not looking at Luigi." Reluctantly, she glanced up, her blue eyes locked into his brown ones. "That is better", he remarked with a small smile as he brushed a tear off her cheek with a tyre.

"What?" Fudge sniffled.

"Now, it does not matter what you say or what you do or what you think. I could never, _ever_ hate you. You make mistakes sometimes and that is okay. We all do every now and then. But I will always love you. Because you are my baby. My special girl." He stopped and sighed again, holding Fudge closer and kissing her gently. "I don't know why you are crying. All I know is that something is upsetting you. And I don't like when my baby is upset, but when she is, all Luigi wants to do is help her and make her smile again. And that is exactly what I want to do right now." Luigi kissed her again on the top of her head. "Please, Fudge. I just want to help you."

"I... I can't! Everyone will hate me! Especially Guido!"

"Don't worry about that right now. They are not here. It is just me and you."

"Yeah?! And _where_ is Guido?!" Fudge demanded.

Luigi was quiet for a moment. He had heard about what had happened.

"He is in the impound. The others think that he is the one who has been stealing. But don't worry, Fudgie. I know he did not do this and-"

" **I** ** _KNOW_** **HE DIDN'T BECAUSE** ** _I DID_** **!** " Fudge exploded, raising her voice in a way that Luigi had never heard her do before.

Luigi was speechless. He just stared at his daughter like he didn't understand what she just said. She glared at him with an expression that meant, _There! I said it!_

" _What_?!" he cried finally, just above a whisper.

" _I_ took everything that's gone missing around here! Ramone's paint, Doc's tools, everyone's money!" Fudge dove under her bed, pulled out the box and opened it to reveal more of the missing items. She held up Luigi's racing flags that had been stolen. "Even _your_ stuff!" Then, noticing Luigi's shocked face, she added, "Luigi, _please_ , say something!"

The little car needed a moment to recover, closing his eyes and shaking his hood before asking, "You are really the one who has been stealing everything?"

Fudge nodded guiltily. " _Yes_!" she squeaked through her sobs. It didn't even sound like a recognisable word, but Luigi knew what she was saying.

"Oh, Fudge, _why_?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she wailed, tears spilling rapidly down her cheeks and dripping onto her shirt. "I didn't _wanna_ do it! And I swear... I've never done anything like this before..."

"Then why now? Fudge, I don't understand." Luigi brushed a wet strand of hair from her face. He didn't sound mad at all and his eyes still showed concern for his baby girl.

Before Fudge got the chance to explain, there was a knock at her bedroom door and Sheriff came in.

"Fudge-" he started. But that was all he got out. He gasped and Fudge knew why. The box was still on the floor, revealing all of the stolen items.

"Where did all of this come from?!"

Fudge, who was kneeling on the floor, clutching the box, just looked up at his stern face. She cried harder and wet herself again. Luigi pulled her in close and requested that he and Fudge had some time alone.

"All right", Sheriff agreed, gathering up everyone's possessions. "But meet us over at Flo's when you're done. We gotta _lot_ of talkin' to do."

And then he was gone.

The first thing Luigi did when Sheriff left was take off Fudge's shoes, jeans and underwear, leaving her in just a pair of white socks and a pink and white striped polo shirt. He cleaned both her and the puddle she'd made up, changed her into clean jeans and put her shoes back on her, depositing the wet clothes in the laundry basket.

"Is that better?" he asked her.

Fudge nodded. "A little bit."

"Now, Fudgie", Luigi got back on topic, "this stealing is not like you. So, if you are doing this, something has to be wrong. And Luigi wants to know what."

"Someone _else_ made me do it!" Fudge blurted out. "I didn't _wanna_ do it, but they made me!"

"I think I know who", Luigi informed her. "Chick Hicks."

Fudge nodded. "He knows something about me! Something very, very bad I've done! And he was gonna tell..." Fudge unleashed another round of sobbing, clinging to Luigi.

"What does he know, baby?"

"I can't say!"

"Fudgie, please." Luigi took her hand again and looked into her big, shiny, tear-filled eyes. "You have been very brave in telling me this. And I need you to keep being brave and tell me what you did."

"Okay..." Fudge agreed reluctantly. "But you're not gonna like it... And Guido's gonna hate me!" She trembled at the thought.

"Fudge, I have told you that Luigi could never hate you. And neither can Guido. You are our _daughter_ and we will always love you. You have told me that you are the thief and I still love you... Does this have something to do with Guido?"

Fudge nodded. "Yeah..."

Three Months Earlier:

It was about nine o'clock at night. Fudge was in her pyjamas and ready for bed. Well, actually, she'd been in pyjamas all day and in bed most of the day. Both she and Guido were sick with a minor bug. So, they had been spending the day resting, Luigi setting up a makeshift bed for Fudge in Guido's room since she'd been sick in hers.

"Guido? What's this?" Fudge help up something small and shiny. She had been getting better and now, she was just enough better to be bored. So, she'd been looking around Guido's room to see if there was anything interesting around. Now, she'd just found something.

Guido smiled at her. "(I have not seen that in a long time)"

"(But what is it?)" she repeated, beginning to speak the same language as Guido.

"(It is a lug nut)", Guido explained. "(You know, like the ones that hold tyres in place.)"

Fudge nodded. "(It's pretty)",the eight-year-old commented. "(I've never seen one like this before.)"

"(It is a very special one. You give someone a lug nut like this when you are asking them to marry you.)"

"(Did someone ask you to marry them?)"

"No", he replied with a smile. "( _I_ was going to ask _her_.)"

"(Who?)" Fudge questioned.

"(A girl I loved back in Italy. Her name was Aurora.)"

"(Why didn't you ask her?)"

Guido paused awkwardly.

"(She got very sick, Fudgie.)" He stroked her hair. "(She got very sick and she died.)"

"(Poor Guido!)"

"(It is okay.)" He stopped and sighed. "(But that is all I have left of her.)"

"(Nothing else?)"

"(No. I lost a lot of my things when Luigi and I moved to America.)"

That Fateful Day at the Wheel Well:

Fudge pulled the lug nut out of her pocket to look at it again. It was beautiful. It looked like there were real diamonds, but Fudge didn't know for sure. Then she put it back in her pocket. If anything happened to it, Guido would never forgive her. She reminded herself of that out loud.

Fudge spied Chick Hicks not too far away and wondered what he was up to. For the next couple of minutes, the two of them would stare at each other suspiciously. Whenever one of them caught the other looking at them, they would glance away.

This went on for a little while before Fudge remembered something quick as a flash. The lug nut! Did she still have it?! She reached into her pocket and fumbled around for it. However, searching her pocket caused the lug nut to fly out! Immediately, Fudge panicked, scanning her surroundings to try and find it. But in her search for the lug nut, Fudge accidentally kicked it. It went over the edge of the cliff the Wheel Well rested on top of!

" **NO!** " Fudge gasped, horrified. " **NONONONONO!** "

She ran over to the edge and peered down. It was a long way down. There was no way she was getting that lug nut back now.

"What am I gonna _do_?! Guido's gonna _kill_ me!" Fudge exclaimed.

With that, she took off, determined to get as far away from the Wheel Well as possible. Cue the lightbulb going off in Chick's head.

Fudge got halfway back to town before collapsing on the ground and bursting into tears. That lug nut was all Guido had left of the woman he loved! How could she have been so careless? What would he say if he found out? Did she have to tell him? Yes. She did. But she couldn't. She didn't want to hurt Guido or make him angry.

"Fudge?" The sound of Mater's voice distracted her momentarily. "Is everythin' okay? What is you cryin' for?"

"Nothing", Fudge hiccupped. "It's fine." She tried to stop.

"You sure?"

Fudge nodded, wiping away the last of her tears. "Yeah... Hey! Wanna go tractor tipping?!" she offered to get off the subject.

Mater's eyes lit up. "Really?!" Normally, Fudge was so unwilling to go tractor tipping and she _never_ asked Mater if he wanted to do it.

"Yeah, it'll be fun."

"All right."

The suggestion worked like a charm. Mater forgot about Fudge being upset and for a little while, Fudge did too. Until she got home.

Back in the present day:

"Oh, _Fudgie_!" Luigi exclaimed sympathetically.

"I still can't believe I lost the lug nut! I... It was an _accident_! I'd _never_ do something like that on _purpose_!"

"I know, Fudge", Luigi assured her, rocking her like a baby. "I know it was an accident."

"I'm sorry!" Fudge wailed. "I am so sorry! For _everything_!"

"So, Chick knew that you lost the lug nut and he said he would tell if you didn't steal from us?" Luigi wanted to make sure he had it right.

Fudge nodded. "I... I thought if I did what Chick said, he wouldn't tell and I wouldn't have to worry about this, but I... I just made things worse!" Fudge cried harder.

Luigi sighed. "Fudge, you know what you did was wrong, don't you?" He wasn't sure why he was asking. He knew the answer to that question.

The eight-year-old nodded again. "I'm a horrible person, Luigi! My mom was right to abandon me!"

" _Fudgie_!" Luigi gasped, horrified that she could say such a thing.

"Well, it's true!"

"No, it is not and you know it!" Luigi insisted softly. "Fudgie, please don't talk like that! You did not deserve to be abandoned by your mother! And you have a family right here in Radiator Springs who love you so much!"

"Not for long!" Fudge leapt up off the bed. "I gotta go!"

"Go where?"

"I don't know... Just as far away from here as possible. Nobody here's ever gonna wanna see me again when they find out what I... what I did! Especially Guido!" She bawled her eyes out, unable to speak.

"Sssh... Sssh... Sssh!" Luigi whispered soothingly, easing her gently back down on to her bed. "It is okay! Take deep breaths, Fudgie!" Fudge obeyed, managing to calm down a little bit and Luigi went on. "You can't run away, baby. You can't just avoid your problems. I think that is what you tried when you agreed to help Chick and it didn't work. Do you think running away now is going to solve anything?"

"Nobody will have to look at me!"

"No", Luigi answered the question correctly for her. "It is not."

"Maybe it won't solve _my_ problems, but it'll solve _yours_! Is anybody gonna still want me here?" Fudge questioned quietly, staring up at Luigi as the tears streamed down her face. "I've done some really bad things. Nobody could ever love me after this! How _could_ they?! Guido's gonna hate me _so much_! I lost his lug nut _and_ got him thrown in the impound!"

Another sigh came from the Fiat. "Fudgie, I am going to be honest with you. Yes. I am sure that Guido will be heartbroken that the lug nut is lost, but he will always love you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am sure. It is going to take a lot more than a lost lug nut and some time in the impound to make Guido stop loving you. Besides", Luigi continued with a smile, "it was not worth that much. Guido never had the best taste. Remember that watch he gave you for your birthday?" Luigi laughed.

He had been trying to make a joke to cheer Fudge up and he thought that the monetary value of the lug nut was what was worrying her about the whole thing, but Fudge couldn't even smile. Luigi blinked, looking at her, his expression showing sympathy once more as he kissed the top of her head.

"That doesn't matter to me!" Fudge wept.

"What do you mean?"

"The only thing I care about is that it was important to Guido! And... and I lost it! And he'll never forgive me..." Her sobs grew louder.

Luigi sighed. "Come on." He drove over to her closet and pulled out a sky blue jacket, handing it to his daughter. "We are going over to Flo's."

"Right now?!" Fudge asked fearfully.

"Yes. Fudgie, the others have to know about this. I am sure they will understand."

"Some of 'em already know I did it."

"What?"

"Tonight, I... got caught by Sarge!" Fudge explained. "He yelled at me and it was really scary!" She nearly wet her pants again at the memory. As it was, her face went paler and she cried harder. "He's _never_ yelled at me like that before! _Nobody_ has! I was so scared, Luigi! I got so scared that I... **I WET MY PANTS!** "

"My poor baby!" Luigi gave her a kiss.

"I... I don't think I can go over there, Luigi!" Fudge insisted, tossing the jacket onto her bed and flopping down on it (the bed, not the jacket). "Everyone's gonna know and..."

"Fudgie, I need you to be brave for me. And you have already done that. Just keep being brave for Luigi."

"I know, but..."

"I know. It's okay", Luigi assured her. "We need to go over to Flo's and tell everyone. Luigi will do the talking if you want, but you can come with me, okay?"

Fudge nodded, grateful for that offer. There was no way she'd be able to talk when they got to Flo's.

"Okay, let's go. Put your jacket on."

Still sobbing, Fudge put on the warm and fluffy jacket and followed Luigi across the street to Flo's, fearing how this was gonna go. Her heart was racing and her whole body was shaking.

 **I think that this entire part is one of my favourites in the whole story. I just love the Fudge and Luigi father-daughter fluff! But what's gonna happen now? Will Fudge's family forgive her? You'll have to wait and see! Till next time. Fudge.**


	9. Fudge vs Chick: Part 3

**Fudge vs. Chick: Part 3**

" _There_ she is!" were the first words Fudge heard when they arrived at Flo's. They came from Lightning McQueen and he sounded far from how gentle and sympathetic he'd been with her earlier that night.

The entire town was gathered at the gas station with the exception of Guido, who was still in the impound. And they did _not_ look happy. In fact, they looked _furious_. They'd obviously heard that she was the thief. Sheriff had distributed everyone's stolen possessions and someone had even brought the box of damaged tyres over to Flo's.

"You better have a very good explanation for this, Fudge!" Ramone chimed in. "Sarge told us everything!"

"Yeah, what the hell were you _thinkin_ '?!" Sheriff demanded.

Fudge clung to Luigi, crying louder and trying to hide behind him.

Luigi turned around and picked her up. "Don't cry, Fudge!" he whispered soothingly. "I will explain everything!"

Sarge glared at them. "What _is_ there to explain?!"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Lightning added.

Luigi sighed. All eyes were on him and all suspicious, curious or both. "Yes. Fudge _is_ the thief. But it is not as simple as that. Do you remember how we believed it was Chick Hicks doing this?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well, we were not too far off the mark." Luigi told them all the whole story, the parts that both Fudge and Chick had played and that included Fudge losing the lug nut. And they were all horrified.

"He's _evil_!" Sally gasped. By that point, she had taken Fudge from Luigi and was cuddling her. "How could he use an innocent _child_ like that?! Poor Fudgie!"

"Not cool, man!" Fillmore added.

"That's one thing I can agree with you on, hippie!" Sarge voiced his opinion. "We can't let him get away with what he's done to the poor kid!"

"Chick Hicks sure ain't a nice guy!" Mater declared angrily.

"And we all thought he was a jerk _on_ the track!" Ramone shouted. The incidents that had been occurring over the last week and a bit had made Ramone angrier than Fudge had ever seen him. Now, hearing about what Chick had done, the Lowrider was ten times angrier than he was then!

Even Lizzie threw her two cents in. " _Now_ , he's made things even worse!"

"Where _is_ that slime ball?!" Lightning demanded, looking around. "We'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"

"Whoa! Calm down, everyone!" Sheriff raised his voice and, immediately, they all quietened down. "I understand how you all feel. I feel the same way. I promise we will find Chick and I will have him arrested. If he never shows up around here again, I'll just have to bust him at one of McQueen's races", he added at the uncertain expressions of some of them.

Fudge, who was still crying, spoke up for the first time since arriving at Flo's. "What will happen to _me_?!"

Doc and Sheriff glanced at each other and seemed to hold an entire conversation with just their eyes. However, it was obvious they each understood what the other meant. Finally, they both nodded and turned their attention back to Fudge, who was resting her head up against Sally and not looking at Doc and Sheriff. The eight-year-old was expecting the worst.

"We think you've been punished enough, kiddo", Sheriff informed her after what felt like an eternity. "So, we're gonna call this one a warning. But if somethin' like this is goin' on, Fudge, you gotta tell someone."

"I thought you could tell Guido and Luigi anything", Doc put in.

"I know, I know! I'm _sorry_!" Fudge wept. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." That was all she could say for the next five minutes as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Everyone else was completely silent while this was going on. There wasn't one of them that was exactly happy with what Fudge did, but they understood _why_ she did it and they all felt sorry for her. Besides, there was only one person to blame for all of this in the first place.

* * *

"Hey, guys! What's goin' on?" came Chick's voice, sounding _way_ too innocent for their liking.

The entire Radiator Springs gang (well, except for Guido, who _still_ wasn't there) glared at him. And Chick knew he was in _very_ big trouble.

"Uh-oh!" he muttered.

Sheriff apprehended the green race car. "Chick Hicks, you're under arrest!" he announced.

"For _what_?!" Chick demanded as he resisted arrest.

"For blackmailin' a child to do some stealin' and vandalisin' for ya!" Sheriff explained.

"No I didn't!" he argued.

"Yes you did!"

"Hey! I was just havin' a friendly conversation with my good friend, Fudge."

Mater looked blank. "Yer good friend?"

" _Yes_!"

"She _told_ us about your blackmailing!" Lightning informed him. "How could you _do_ that to a little kid?!"

Chick glared at Fudge. " _You_!" he shouted, lunging for her. "I'm gonna _kill_ that kid!"

Fudge screamed and cried harder. Sally held her tighter, turning her away from Chick.

"You ain't layin' one tyre on 'er!" Sheriff yelled at the green race car. "You've already done enough to hurt the poor kid! You're comin' with me to the impound!"

"I can't believe you _told_ 'em!" Chick went on. "I think you know what I'm gonna have to do now!" He shifted his attention to Luigi. "I'm gonna have to tell him what _you've_ done!"

"She has told me everything", Luigi informed Chick.

"Even how she lost that precious lug nut?"

Luigi nodded. "Yes."

"You've got nothing now, Chick!" Lightning piped up. "Why'd you do it?!"

"Hey! _You_ rob _me_ of races all the time! I'm only doing what you do!"

"Okay. Let's pretend that's true. Why use Fudge?! Why not just do it yourself?!"

"What? And spend a whole week around here with _you_?!" Chick laughed. "I don't think so! Besides, if I'm hanging out here, you would've known it was me straight away! I could've gotten away with this whole thing if that dumb kid had just _kept her mouth shut_!"

"Come on!" Sheriff shoved him. Chick refused to budge. So, Sheriff needed someone else. "Mater? You know what to do."

And he did. His tow hook shot out and grabbed hold of Chick, catching him by surprise. Sheriff followed Mater as he towed the 86 racer to the impound.

"I'll get you all for this!" Chick hollered as he was dragged off. "See if I don't!"

* * *

"Come on, baby!" Luigi instructed her once they were gone. He rolled closer to his daughter and wiped some more tears from her face. "Give us a smile."

Fudge shook her head. Even though she was relieved that she'd gotten everything out in the open and the others weren't mad at her, she was still upset over everything that had happened and was in no mood for smiling.

"Come on!" Lightning pushed in a singsong voice. "You know you want to!"

"No!" Fudge insisted.

"Don't make me have to tickle you!" Lightning approached the eight-year-old, who happened to be the most ticklish person in the world. "Because I'll do it! You know I will!"

"Not if _I_ get there first!" Sally had already launched into the task of tickling the human.

Fudge giggled. She was still crying, but at least she was smiling at the same time. It seemed she was finally beginning to calm down.

"Are you _sure_ you don't wanna punish me?" Fudge quizzed Doc about two minutes later as the smile disappeared from her face. "I mean... I stole from all you guys, destroyed the town _and_ Lightning's racing tyres." She hugged herself, her jacket keeping her that little bit warmer, as more tears dripped down her face.

Doc came closer to her, giving her a hug. "I think", he began, "the most important thing for you, kiddo, is for you to learn your lesson and move on. And we all know you can do that."

She nodded in agreement. "I'm so sorry!" she hiccupped. "I promise I will never do something so stupid ever again! I... I get if you're mad at me. _I'm_ pretty mad at me."

"Aw, we ain't mad at you, Fudge", Ramone spoke up. "Sure, we wish you'd told us what was goin' on before it got to this, but it ain't your fault Chick put you through all that." He sighed. "C'mere. You look like you could use a hug."

Doc and Sally let go of Fudge, allowing her to leap up and run to Ramone, who gave her a hug, which she returned.

"Me next!" Lightning requested as Ramone loosened his grip on her.

"I wanna hug her!" Fillmore added. "She wouldn't let me earlier!"

Doc chuckled, turning to Fudge. "See, Fudge? Everyone wants to give you a hug! And why wouldn't they? You give the best hugs, kiddo."

Soon, everyone took turns to give Fudge a hug and she hugged them back without thinking. Well, except for one.

"C'mere, Fudge." Sarge held out his tyres to the little girl as he was the only one there she hadn't hugged yet. "Give me a hug."

She shook her head.

"Why not?" The army Jeep moved closer to her, only for her to back away from him.

"No!" she wailed. "No!"

"Fudgie?" Luigi approached the girl and picked her up. "What's wrong?"

Fudge whispered to Luigi.

"Okay", Luigi whispered back. "Okay. I will talk to Sarge."

"What's wrong?" Sarge asked.

"I think you scared Fudge."

Confusion took over Sarge's face. "What? When?"

"When I got caught... You yelled at me... and I was really scared. I... I just..." Her sobs started up again.

"It's all right, soldier." He took her from Luigi and gave her a hug. "It's all right. I'm sorry I yelled. I had no idea what was going on. No one's blaming you for what happened. Not even me. But do you promise you won't let this happen again?"

Fudge sniffled and nodded. "Uh-huh." Then she was finally able to return the hug.

"That's our Fudge." Sarge ruffled her hair playfully. By this point, he was smiling.

* * *

Mater and Sheriff had just returned from impounding Chick. Fudge glanced past those two to see who was with them and burst into fresh tears, making her efforts in calming down a total waste. She jumped up and tried to run.

"Fudgie!" Luigi exclaimed, chasing after her. As it has previously been established, Fudge couldn't go as fast as the cars, so it didn't take him long to catch her and bring her back. The human girl wasn't happy about it, but Luigi gave her straight to Guido.

Guido was silent for a moment, rocking Fudge in his arms. Even with blurred vision from all of the tears in her eyes, Fudge could tell that Guido had been crying. It was probably because of her, she decided.

Fudge didn't know it, but that wasn't _exactly_ true. Sheriff had told Guido the whole story, including how Fudge lost the lug nut. He'd also explained that Fudge was very upset about the whole thing. Luigi was right. Guido _was_ devastated that the lug nut was lost. And he would've been furious if the one who lost it had been anybody but Fudge.

His daughter. The one thing that he and Luigi loved more than they loved Ferraris and tyres combined (and if you knew them, you'd know that _that_ was _really_ saying something). He had lots of precious memories of her. Watching her being born. Bringing her home for the first time. Spinning around Flo's in circles with her in his arms as he tossed her in the air gently while she laughed and squealed in delight (it was while doing this that Guido and the others had heard her laugh for the very first time!). Reading her stories and singing songs to make her fall asleep. How could he get mad at _her_? As it was, as his tears started to fall, he didn't even want her to see him cry, fearing it would make her feel worse.

Guido had only let himself cry for a couple of minutes. Then he followed Mater and Sheriff back over to Flo's and held his sobbing daughter in his arms, not saying anything.

Finally, the first words out of the little forklift's mouth were, "(I love you.)"

Fudge sniffled, gazing up at him, her eyes swimming with tears. "(What?)"

"(I love you)", Guido repeated.

Fudge's response surprised Guido. "( _Why_?!)"

"(Because)", Guido began, kissing the top of her head, "(you are my special little girl.)"

"(But what about everything I've done?!)" Fudge protested. "(I lost one of the most important things to you and I got you arrested and-)"

"Sssh... Sssh!" Guido cut her off. "(I know. Sheriff told me everything. It is okay, Fudgie! I am not angry at you.)"

"(You should be!)"

"(Why?)"

"(Because of what I've done! I've made a mess of everything! I am so sorry!)"

"(Fudge, it is okay!)" the forklift insisted. "(I know what Chick did and that is not your fault. And I _know_ losing the lug nut was an accident.)" He stopped and paused, brushing some tears away from Fudge's face. "(Fudge, Chick can do a lot of things. He is very good at cheating, manipulating people, getting them to do what he wants. But one thing he can _never_ do is change that you are my daughter and I love you.)"

Other than Fudge, Luigi was the only one who understood what Guido had just told her and he just melted.

Fudge sniffled, gazing up at Guido. "(Really?)"

He nodded.

"(I love you too!)" Fudge cuddled Guido and gave him a big kiss, both of which he returned without hesitation.

The rest of the townsfolk smiled. While nobody except Luigi knew _everything_ Guido and Fudge had just talked about, most of them could understand bits and pieces. Besides, the fact that they were hugging and kissing said enough.

"Hey, Guido?" Lightning piped up. "Sorry we called you a traitor. We should've known you would never do something like this. You're one of us."

Guido smiled. "Peet stop."

Lightning approached Guido, who passed Fudge to Luigi just in the nick of time. Then the race car and the forklift hugged.

"What about _me_?!" Fudge wailed. "Am I still one of you? Do you still love me? I... I thought you'd all hate me now."

"Aw, how could we possibly hate _you_ , Fudge-O?!" Lightning asked, taking her from Luigi and giving her back to Guido. "It's not your fault Chick's a jerk."

"Yeah, we still love you, Fudge", everyone else chimed in.

"And this is what we are going to do", Luigi announced, giving her a kiss. "We are going to wait for you to stop crying and then we are going to go home. And when we get home, we are not going to talk about this anymore, okay?"

Fudge nodded. "I like that."

Luigi smiled. "And that is what we are going to do."

* * *

"Listen, guys?" Fudge announced, wiping away the last of her tears and some snot on her face. "I just wanna say... I'm sorry."

"You've said that already", Lightning pointed out with a small smile.

"Yeah, well, I wanna say it again. Because I mean it. I _really am_ sorry. And I promise I will never do such a stupid thing ever, ever again! I hope nobody does something like to me again, but if they do, I'll tell someone right away."

Ramone nodded. "Good idea."

Fudge turned to Lightning. "And I'm sorry you can't go to your next race."

He looked puzzled. "Why can't I go to my next race?"

"I... I destroyed all of your tyres!" Fudge explained. "And... and Luigi doesn't have enough in the shop! He had to order more tyres today and... There's no way they'll get here in time..."

"Please don't cry, Fudge-O!" Lightning begged. "I think you've done enough crying for one day. So what if I can't go to _one_ race? It's not the end of the world. In fact, it's kinda nice. It means I get to spend more time here with my family. Who I love. Including _you_."

Fudge beamed.

"And, hey", Sarge put in, "this week hasn't been _so_ bad. I mean, I got a whole week of peace without listening to those blasted Hendrix CDs!"

"Respect the classics, man!" Fillmore shot back.

Fudge laughed. Not just a little giggle. A real laugh.

"That's what we like to see!" Luigi informed her. "A nice, big Fudge smile!"

"You okay now, kiddo?" Doc asked.

The eight-year-old nodded. "I think so. Thanks, guys."

"I think what Fudge needs", Flo spoke up, "is a cup of hot cocoa. That sound good, honey?"

Another nod came from the little girl.

"And have you eaten yet?"

"No... No, I haven't."

"I'll be right back."

By the time Flo returned with not only some cocoa (with marshmallows!), but a grilled cheese sandwich for her, Fudge had stopped crying completely.

"Thanks, Flo!" Fudge took the mug and plate from her.

The former show car smiled at her. "No more tears, all right, sugar?"

Fudge nodded. "Okay!" She took a sip of her cocoa.

"Are you ready to go, Fudge?" Luigi questioned once both her plate and mug had been cleared.

"You're leaving now?" Lightning asked before Fudge could respond.

"Yes. I think it has been a long day for all three of us", Luigi explained. "And Guido and I still need to get Fudge in the bath."

"Yeah, I'm ready", Fudge answered, standing up and giving the dishes back to Flo, thanking the show car once again. "Bye!" she called to the others, waving.

"Good night, Fudge!" they all responded, waving back to her. "Love you!"

As Guido carried Fudge back over to Casa Della Tires, the little girl couldn't help but smile. Guido was right. Chick had done a lot to her and the others, but he couldn't make the townsfolk of Radiator Springs stop loving Fudge. _Nobody_ could _ever_ do that.

* * *

Later that night, Fudge had been bathed and put into her pyjamas with her teeth brushed. Now, Guido and Luigi were putting her to bed.

"Are you okay, Fudgie?" Luigi wanted to know.

"Mmm-hmm." She smiled. " _Grazie_."

"(Have you really been having nightmares?)" Guido quizzed her. "(Or were you just worried about getting caught?)"

"(Both)", Fudge explained, her smile disappearing. "(I kept having this nightmare where you all found out what I did and you killed me because of it.)"

"Okay!" Luigi intervened. "We said we are not going to talk about that."

"Oh, yeah", Fudge remembered, but she still had thoughts of the incidents lingering in the back of her mind.

Luigi and Guido took her mind off it by singing to her. It didn't take long for the smile to return to her face. She loved when her fathers sang Italian songs to her. And they loved singing them to her. In fact, they kept going long after Fudge had fallen asleep.

* * *

Nightmares didn't keep Fudge awake that night, but she _did_ wake up at ten to eleven not feeling well at all. All the stupid stuff with Chick had made her sick. Her stomach hurt. Her head hurt. And she felt she was gonna- Too late. Fudge barely had time to throw off the covers before she spewed the grilled cheese sandwich and cocoa Flo had given her all over the bed and her pyjamas.

"Oh, _no_!" she groaned, getting out of bed and heading down the hall to the bathroom, trying to be careful not to wake Guido or Luigi.

After about five minutes of vomiting in the toilet, Fudge heard a gentle tap on the bathroom door.

"Fudgie?" It was Guido. "(Is something wrong?)"

"(I'm sick!)" was her response.

That was all Guido needed to hear. The little forklift only took a split second to be in the bathroom with her.

"(How bad do you feel?)" He placed a fork on her forehead. "(Hmmm... You are very warm and pale)", he added, looking at her face. Then he noticed the vomit all over Fudge's pyjamas. "(And you have been throwing up. Poor baby!)"

She nodded, hanging her head guiltily. "(I was sick in my bed too!)"

"(That is okay!)" Guido assured her. "(I can take care of that. Arms up.)"

Fudge obeyed, allowing Guido to take off her pyjama top and pants, dumping them in the laundry basket (which was located in their bathroom since Fudge had a bath most nights).

"(Wait here, Fudgie)", he instructed her. "(I will be right back.)"

To Fudge, it felt like Guido was gone for ages. While he was gone, he'd gone down to the kitchen to get some medicine and a bucket. After that, he went into Fudge's room and removed her bedsheets and got a clean pair of pyjamas for her. Finally, he returned, the bedsheets joining the pyjamas Fudge had just been wearing in the laundry basket.

"(I have a bucket for you to be sick in)", Guido announced while a naked Fudge knelt in front of the toilet, puking in it. "(So, you can go back to bed.)"

"Okay", Fudge agreed weakly, standing up.

Once Fudge was ready, Guido put her into the new pair of pyjamas and carried her back to her room, laying her down in the bed.

"(Why are you taking care of me?)" Fudge questioned as Guido tucked her in.

Guido stopped and stared at her. "(Because you are my daughter and you are sick.)"

"(But I don't feel like I really deserve it after-)"

"(Fudgie, remember what Luigi said? We are not going to talk about that anymore)", Guido reminded her. "(You made some mistakes. Everyone does. It has been dealt with and now, we can all move on.)"

Fudge smiled. "(I like the sound of that)", she declared, but she didn't think she'd forget about what had happened. Not easily.

Guido returned the smile and began to sing.

* * *

Fudge stayed up all night, vomiting and Guido stayed up with her, singing to her, telling her stories and giving her medicine. It was as the sun rose that Guido noticed that Fudge was finally asleep. He hadn't slept a wink the night before, but he didn't care. All that mattered to him in that moment was that he'd spent the night with his daughter, taking care of her. And as she slept, for the first time in weeks, she looked totally calm and peaceful.

( _Why shouldn't she be?_ ) Guido wondered in his native language. She'd confessed all of her problems to her family. They forgave her and still loved her. Chick was in the impound. When she got over her sickness, Guido knew that everything would be just fine.

* * *

Nine Months Later:

It was August in Radiator Springs. Six weeks earlier, the townsfolk had celebrated Fudge's ninth birthday. They never talked about what Fudge had done. Not that they could forget. They most certainly couldn't. Especially not Fudge. However, it was like Doc said. She had learned her lesson and moved on.

On this particular August day, Fudge was up at the Wheel Well again. She wasn't really doing anything. Just sat outside, gazing out at the valley lit up by the sunset and enjoying the view, lost in her own thoughts.

"Howdy, Fudge!"

The nine-year-old jumped. Maybe she was a little _too_ lost in her thoughts.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya!" Mater apologised.

Fudge shrugged. "Oh, that's okay. Whatcha doin'?"

"Goin' fishin'", the tow truck responded.

"Fishing?" Fudge echoed, confused.

"Yeah!" He nodded excitedly, shooting his tow hook out over the edge of the cliff. "Ya never know what ya might find! One time, I done found my hood! I ain't seen it in twenty years and I found it!"

"So, where is it now?" Fudge wondered.

"I done sneezed and lost it again."

"That sucks", Fudge muttered.

"Dad-gum!" Mater exclaimed after two minutes past. "I think I done found somethin'!"

"Really?!" That got Fudge's attention. "What?!"

"It's somethin' small!" the tow truck reported. "I don't know what it is yet." His tow hook came into view. "Take it, Fudge! Take it!"

The human did as he said. "I think it's a lug nut", she announced.

"Well, shoot! They is always a good find!"

"Let's go wash it!" Fudge suggested, following Mater inside the motel.

When they washed it, Fudge gasped.

"The lug nut!" she cried happily. These past few months, she almost forgot about the lug nut entirely. Probably because Guido never brought it up again (to help her feel less guilty about the whole thing). "Mater, you found it!"

Before Mater had a chance to reply, Fudge shot off back to town. It was a long way and she'd never done it entirely by herself before, but Fudge was in such a great mood, she felt she could run to Mexico. She placed the lug nut in her pocket carefully. No way was she losing it again!

"Guido! Guido!"

The little forklift threw down his wrench he'd been changing a customer's tyre with and hurried over to his daughter.

"(What, Fudge?! What is it?!)" he demanded, thinking that something was wrong.

"(Look what Mater found!)" The nine-year-old thrust the lug nut at her father.

Immediately, Guido burst into tears. He took the lug nut from Fudge and gave her the biggest hug he could muster.

"Uh, Guido?" Fudge choked out. "(I can't breathe!)"

"Oh!" he exclaimed, releasing her a little, but still keeping his arms around her. "(I am sorry, Fudge. I am just so happy you found it!)"

"(Me too! I'm sorry I lost it in the first place.)"

"(It is okay, Fudgie)", Guido assured her. "(It was not your fault.)" He stared at the sparkling lug nut. "(I can't believe Mater found it! Let's celebrate, okay, Fudge? I think we have some ice cream in the freezer.)"

"(Ice cream?!)" Fudge's eyes lit up.

" _Si_." Guido smiled as he opened the freezer and got some out along with two silver spoons.

"Yum-yum!" Fudge cheered, sucking on a spoonful of Neapolitan ice cream.

Guido laughed. "(I love you, Fudge!)"

"(I love you too!)"

Finally, it seemed that in the war of Fudge versus Chick, it was official that Fudge had won!

 **The End**

 **I know, I know. That ending kinda sucked, but I had no other ideas. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.**

 **Just an interesting little fact for you all, when I was fifteen and sixteen, I started writing _Cars_ fan fics in notebooks. I wrote about seventy-six stories (now, a lot of them make me cringe!) and this was one of the first ones. I've rewritten it several times, but this is one of my original _Cars_ fan fics!**

 **By the way, I uploaded the first chapter of _Driven to Win_ , which is the events of Fudge in _Cars 3_ , so please check that out if you haven't done so already. I also have several more stories planned to go in here (including the Francesco fic one of my readers requested). However, I have another one completed, which I will post in about two weeks, so stay tuned for that. Till then, please review.**


	10. Foolish Love

**Before I begin explaining this story, I just wanna say that I've realised that if you haven't read _COTSLOF ( Cars Origins: The Sweet Life of Fudge)_ yet, you won't know this because I never mentioned it here. Some of the stories I put in the original collection of short stories such as _The Fabulous Hudson Hornet_ and _My Heart Will Go_ On are part of _COTSLOF_ now because they tie into that story.**

 **So, here'** **s an idea for a story I'** **ve had for a while now and I finally convinced myself to write it. So, here it is! There are just a couple of things I feel I should explain before we begin:**

 **1\. This takes place after _Cars 3_ , but I've been careful not to include any spoilers for _Driven to Win_.**

 **2\. It does have some Cruz Ramirez x Jackson Storm, but not in the way you might think. So, even if you don't ship those two (heck, _I_ don't!), you may still enjoy this story. I realise that this is a pairing most people either love or hate.**

 **3\. The story may seem a little ridiculous at times with some characters acting a little OOC, but that's how it's supposed to be. You'll see why when you get to the end.**

 **4\. There is a mix of first and third person in this story. Some of it is told from Cruz's POV.**

 **Well, I guess that's about it. Enjoy! :)**

 **Foolish Love**

"Where is she?!" Lightning demanded.

"She'll be here", sixteen-year-old Fudge promised him quietly.

"She's almost half an hour late!"

"I know..." Fudge was trying to be careful what she said in fear of making Lightning mad at her too.

Cruz Ramirez was, as Lightning said, almost half an hour late to her training down by Willy's Butte. Lightning couldn't stand it when she was late. Although, he guessed that he couldn't be too hard on her. He was late to training with Doc Chrysler knew how many times.

"Here she is", Fudge announced as the yellow car showed up. "Hi, Cruz!"

"Hey, Fu-" she began.

"Where have you been, Cruz?!" Lightning demanded. "Do you know how late you are?!"

"Sorry, Mr. McQueen. I just had a late night last night and I overslept."

"Oh, yeah!" Fudge exclaimed, remembering. "How did last night go?"

"What was last night?" Lightning wondered.

"Well", Cruz started with a huge grin on her face, "it all started after the last race..."

* * *

I was so ecstatic that I won the race. I still can't believe how far I've come since I was just a trainer at the Rust-Eze Racing Center! Now, I'm a real racer! It's been a couple of months, but I still don't fully believe it!

The press had _finally_ left me alone and I was trying to make my way back to my new friends from Radiator Springs, who insisted that we all go out and celebrate, which I wasn't about to object to. However, on my way, I ran into Jackson Storm!

"Hey, Cruz", he greeted me awkwardly. "How's it going?"

"It's great! How's it going?" I was surprised that he called me Cruz rather than "Costume Girl" or something worse. I'm pretty sure he does it out of anger and bitterness that I came from nowhere and beat him in the Florida 500.

"It's all right... Congratulations on winning the race!"

"Thanks!" I was happy, but also kind of suspicious. This was the first time Storm had ever congratulated me on a win. I wasn't quite sure if he was being genuine or not.

"Um... Uh..."

"Was there something you wanted to say?" I questioned. It seemed like Storm had something on his mind, but didn't know whether or not to say it.

"Yeah... Yeah, there is. Cruz... I kinda have something I wanna say..." He took a deep breath. "I... I've had a crush on you ever since I met you."

" _Really_?!" That was just about the last thing I expected to hear.

Storm nodded. "Yeah. I was wondering if... maybe you... wanted to go out with me sometime?"

"Really?!" I repeated.

"Yeah!"

"I would _love_ to go out on a date with you!"

"You would?"

"Yeah! I've kinda always had a crush on you too."

The grin that lit up Storm's face seemed too big for his face. It appeared to get even bigger when I wrote down my phone number for him.

* * *

"Wait!" Lightning exclaimed. "You actually agreed to go on a date with Storm?!"

Cruz nodded. "Yeah."

"Why would you do that?! He's been horrible to all of us ever since we've known him."

Cruz shrugged. "I don't know. There's just something about him. I can't put my tyre on what it is."

"I was _hoping_ he'd ask you out!" Fudge chimed in.

"So, you knew about this too?" Lightning asked her. "You _knew_ Storm had a crush on Cruz?!"

"Well, yeah, _everyone_ does!"

"Well, _I_ didn't! So, what does this have to do with why you were late?"

"Their date was last night!" the human girl at his side informed him. "How did it go?!"

"How did you go on our date with Storm last night without me noticing?" Lightning wondered.

"Well, I told you I was going into the city, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"How'd it go?" Fudge repeated impatiently.

Cruz beamed. "Oh, it went _very_ well..."

* * *

The night before, I had ventured into the city, excited and full of nerves. I was beginning to wonder if I should've brought Storm something. After all, he'd driven quite a way to see me tonight. Was it too late to get something? If not, then what could I get? Flowers? Chocolates? Wine? What? I know nothing about dating! I was beginning to wonder if I should have told Mr. McQueen about my date, so he could give me advice. Or Ms. Carrera. Ms. Carrera probably would've been better.

"Hey, Cruz!" a familiar voice greeted me.

I grinned. "Good evening, Storm!"

"I got you these!" Storm brought forward a bunch of red roses.

I took them from him in amazement. "They're beautiful! Thank you!"

"So, are you ready to go?"

"Sure! Where are we going?"

"Well, I'll be honest", Storm replied. "I don't really know this area all that well. Where do you wanna go?"

"I know this great place that's not too far away."

* * *

Fudge's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

"Oh, I do!" Cruz assured her with a grin.

"Where?" Lightning wondered.

"Only the most amazing restaurant in the entire city!"

* * *

The first thing Storm and I heard when we entered the restaurant was the sound of children screaming and racing around and throwing food.

Storm's eyes widened when he saw the place. "I thought you'd pick somewhere a little fancier than McDonald's."

"I don't need to go anywhere fancy", I argued with a shrug. "I _like_ this place. Besides, it doesn't matter where we are, as long as we're together."

Storm smiled. "I guess so." He paused. "Do you know what you want?"

"Yes I do. Why don't we share a box of chicken McNuggets?"

"This is our first date and we're already sharing food?" Storm asked incredulously.

I gave another shrug. "I trust you."

"Well, if that's what you want."

"It is!" I insisted sincerely. I didn't just _want_ chicken McNuggets. I _needed_ chicken McNuggets.

* * *

"Sounds romantic!" Fudge proclaimed seriously, smiling as she imagined Cruz and Storm in McDonald's, sharing a box of chicken McNuggets.

"Sounds romantic!" Lightning commented sarcastically. Sure, his first date with Sally was spent babysitting Fudge and trying to get her to go to sleep, but it wasn't like they _planned_ for it to go like that.

"Just because we didn't go to a fancy restaurant, Mr. McQueen, doesn't mean it wasn't romantic!" Cruz shot back.

"Yeah, because all those screaming kids really set the scene of a perfect date!" Lightning retorted.

"Hey, I was there for your first date with Sally!" Fudge reminded him.

"Exactly why it wasn't romantic!"

"I was with Storm and that was all that mattered!" Cruz insisted, trying to get back on the subject. "And I'll have you know he was a perfect gentleman, letting me take as many nuggets as I wanted!"

"You always gotta find a man who lets you have the nuggs", Fudge agreed, sounding quite wise.

Her friend nodded. "Exactly!"

"So, what happened next?" Fudge wanted to know.

"Well, we started talking..."

* * *

"I guess that's when Mr. McQueen decided that he'd had enough of the simulator because he tried to shake the wheel clamps off. He went flying and crashed right through the screen! The entire facility lost power because of that!"

Storm laughed hard. It was a laugh that I had never heard from him before. It was nice.

"Well, it's still pretty early, Cruz", Storm pointed out after about five minutes. "Where do you wanna go now?"

"Hey, I got to pick the restaurant!" I reminded him. "Why don't _you_ pick where we go next?"

"Well, is there an arcade anywhere around here?"

I nodded. "Yeah! It's just down the street!" I hadn't been there, but I'd gone past it several times.

Storm grinned. "Awesome! It's been so long since I've played _Super Corsa 3_." With an angry frown, he added, "Gus doesn't let me play it. He says I have to focus on _real racing_!"

"Well, Gus isn't here, is he?" I pointed out, not entirely sure who Gus was. "What do you say we have a race?"

Just like that, Storm's grin returned. "Sure! As long as no-one crashes through the screen!"

I laughed. "You're on!"

* * *

"I can't believe you agreed to race Storm in _Super Corsa 3_!" Fudge exclaimed.

"I can't believe you told him the simulator story!" Lightning added.

"Could I please just finish my story?" Cruz questioned impatiently.

"Sure, go ahead", the other two agreed in unison.

So, she did

* * *

Luckily, there were two simulators for _Super Corsa 3_ available right next to each other when we got there. I got on one and Storm got on the other.

"You ready?" I quizzed Storm, grinning.

"I was born ready!" He revved his engine, which made me rev mine.

"Me too!"

The green flag came out and we were racing.

Although, it doesn't compare to real racing, I kind of missed going on the simulators. I was having a blast, blazing across this virtual track. Storm was ahead of me, but only just.

"Ready to give up, Costume Girl?" he teased me good-naturedly.

I laughed. "Never!"

As we made it out of the next turn, I managed to get into the lead.

"What?!" Storm exclaimed.

I just laughed. I noticed Storm's expression shift to one of determination. He really wanted to win, but I wasn't about to let him. Just because we were dating now, it didn't mean that we weren't competitive still. Believe me, we were!

Before long, a crowd had gathered to watch us race. Everyone was cheering for either me or Storm, all excited to see who would win the race.

The race went on for what felt like a long time. I don't know how many times we overtook each other, but I do know it was a lot. Storm and I were pushing each other to go faster. I was laughing out of sheer joy and was almost disappointed when we got to the last lap.

"Ready to give it everything you've got?" I quizzed Storm as the white flag was waved.

"I was _born_ ready!" He gave his engine another rev. So did I.

I was just a little bit ahead of him when we started that lap. However, when we came out of the first turn, Storm got ahead of me.

"No!" I exclaimed, laughing.

"Today's not your day, Costume Girl!" Storm declared, charging into the lead.

"We'll see about that!" I chased after him, full of even more determination than before.

We rounded turn three. Storm was just a little bit ahead of me. I tried to overtake him from the left, but he swerved in front of me. I went right and the same thing happened. He just laughed.

We went around turn four. I narrowed my eyes in focus. I had to make my move and I had to do it now.

"You better not flip over me now!" Storm joked.

I laughed again. "I don't think you can _do_ that in a simulator!"

"Maybe you can..." Storm hesitated for a brief moment to think about that, which allowed me to make my move. I shot ahead of him right at the last moment to cross the finish line first.

The crowd went wild.

I looked over at Storm. I wasn't sure how he was going to react. I'd seen him have massive temper tantrums if he ever lost a race. Once, I even heard from Tim Treadless that Storm once set off the smoke detectors in the training facility.

However, on this occasion, Storm just smiled at me, coming closer. "Congratulations, Cruz!"

I smiled. "Thanks!"

There was a moment of silence.

"Do... Do you wanna race again?" I questioned. I knew I did and I was sure Storm would too.

"In a sec", he replied. "There's something else I wanna do first."

"What?"

I didn't see it coming. Storm closed his eyes and pressed his lips up against mine. I couldn't believe it. I was actually _kissing_ Jackson Storm! It felt like my entire life had been building up to that moment and I-

* * *

"Whoa!" Lightning exclaimed. "You actually _kissed_ Storm?!"

"You _kissed_ Storm?!" Fudge sounded just as incredulous, but a lot happier.

"I _told_ you it went well!" Cruz reminded them. "We're going out again next Friday!"

Fudge's eyes widened. " _Really_?!"

"A _second_ date? Wow!" Lightning was impressed.

"Yep." Cruz nodded. "I think this may be the start of a serious relationship!"

"If you two have kids, name the first one Fudge!" the human girl joked.

Cruz laughed. "Sorry, Fudge, but we've already decided the names of our first _two_ kids!"

"What?!" Lightning couldn't believe it. "You've... You've already talked about that?"

"Yep", the yellow car confirmed. "Our first two kids are gonna be twins." She looked directly at Lightning and grinned. "One will be called April and the other one will be called Fools!"

She and Fudge burst out laughing.

"Wh- What?" Lightning stammered.

" **APRIL FOOLS!** " the two young women hollered in unison.

"Like I would _ever_ go out with _Storm_!" Cruz added as she pounded her tyre up against Fudge's foot in a high five.

"We've been planning this for _weeks_!" Fudge chimed in, her voice barely understandable with all of her laughter. "I... I thought I was gonna give it away by laughing!"

Lightning was utterly confused. He'd been so distracted by the idea of training that he'd completely forgotten about what day it was: April first! It didn't help that he hadn't seen Mater yet that day.

After a long pause, he sighed and tried to hide his amusement. "Come on, guys! Let's get started here. I think we've wasted enough training time for one day."

Trying to stop their laughter, Fudge and Cruz obeyed.

"Well", Lightning thought out loud as they lined up at the starting line, "at least this means Storm doesn't know the simulator story."

"Oh, no, he knows!" Cruz insisted.

Lightning's eyes widened. "Wait. What?!"

 **XD Happy April Fools Day, everyone!**


	11. Ride Bonus Scenes

**Wow! I had this one sitting around for ages and I've** _ **finally**_ **finished and posted it.**

 **I wasn't sure if I should post this, but I wrote it and figured I might as well. Here are some bonus scenes for** _ **Ride**_ **. The first one is chapter three, but Lightning's side of the story. The first half was pretty easy to write, but then his and Fudge's stories kind of merged since they were doing the same things. So, I just added some new stuff to what they were already doing just so you didn't switch off.**

 **Bonus Scenes for** _ **Ride**_

" **WILL YOU TURN THAT DISRESPECTFUL JUNK OFF?!** "

"Respect the classics, man! It's Hendrix!"

Lightning McQueen, still half-asleep, groaned and, for the millionth time, wished that Sarge and Fillmore could be more considerate of those who actually _wanted_ to sleep. However, he knew that that wasn't going to happen. Oh, well. He didn't really mind how or when he was woken up, just as long as he woke up next to Sally.

There were times, even now, where he just couldn't believe that he was with Sally. Like the night before, they'd had a small farewell gathering for Francesco up at the Wheel Well and before that, he'd had dinner with her up there. The whole time, they'd just parked there, talking and laughing. It felt so easy and she was so beautiful that he couldn't help wondering, _How the hell did I end up with someone like you?_

She gave him a soft smile, also still half-asleep. "Morning, Stickers", she murmured sleepily.

He returned the smile. "Morning, Sally."

They cuddled each other in a content silence before they were interrupted by a series of loud, obnoxious knocks on the door and Francesco burst in.

"Francesco!" Lightning exclaimed, surprised to see the Italian formula car coming in when he still wasn't fully awake. "What are you doing?!"

"Sorry, McQueen! Sorry, _Signorina_ Sally! It is just... Have you seen Francesco's spare tyres?"

Lightning groaned. " _Why_ would we have seen your spare tyres, Francesco?!"

"I don't know!" Francesco responded hysterically. "But Francesco is-a going back home to Italy today and he still needs to finish-a packing and he can't find his-a spare tyres!"

"All right, all right!" Lightning started to roll outside with Sally following. "When'd you last see 'em?"

Francesco's Cozy Cone looked like a bomb had hit it! There was luggage and random bits and bobs _everywhere_!

"Wow!" Lightning exclaimed, his eyes widening at the sight of it all. "No wonder you can't find your spare tyres!"

"How do you expect to find them in all this mess?!" the very neat and organised Sally laughed.

"Can you please just help Francesco find his-a tyres?!"

After about twenty minutes, they found the tyres under a stack- well, _mountain_ \- of Francesco posters and magazines.

"We're leaving town at twelve o'clock", McQueen reminded his rival once he'd thanked them and Sally had left.

"That early?"

"Well, yeah, 'cause, you know, we're gonna be using the track first..." the stock car explained. "And we wanna get you there early for your flight... Are you sure you're gonna be ready by then?"

" _Si_ ", Francesco assured him. "Why must you doubt Francesco? He always gets things done at three-hundred kilometres an hour!"

"Except finding his tyres!" Lightning teased him.

"Very funny, McQueen", the formula car replied sarcastically.

Lightning just grinned. "Why don't you meet me over at Flo's when you're done?" he suggested.

" _Si_. Francesco will."

"Morning, McQueen!" everyone greeted the stock car as he pulled up to Flo's. Everyone was there, aside from Luigi and Fudge.

He smiled. "Hey, guys!"

"Here you go, honey!" Flo dropped off a can of oil in front of Lightning.

"Thanks, Flo!" He started to sip his oil contently, stopping only to chime in to the conversation every now and then and greet Luigi and Fudge. Fudge came skipping over to Flo's, still in her pyjamas, robe and Ugg boots as she often did, so nobody minded that she wasn't dressed. She looked to be in a _very_ good mood. Why?

"We're going to the airport today!" she cheered.

Lightning couldn't help chuckling at her excitement. She had expressed her interests in going with Lightning and Francesco to the airport the night before during Francesco's farewell gathering. So, he promised to pick her up at quarter to twelve.

"Yay!" Fudge sounded _very_ happy about that.

"That's okay, right? Luigi? Guido?" Lightning wanted to confirm.

Luigi nodded. "Yes. That is fine."

Guido spoke in Italian and, although Lightning didn't understand it, the forklift was nodding too, so he could tell that Guido didn't have a problem with it either.

"Are _you_ sure that's okay, Lightning?" Fudge wanted to confirm. "I mean... I _want_ to come, but I don't wanna get in your way if..."

"It's fine, Fudge-O", he assured her with a smile.

"Yay!" she cried.

"So..." Fudge tried to make conversation as she wiped some orange juice from her upper lip. "Did anybody see the, uh, the sports last night?"

"What sports?" Sarge asked with a smile. What Fudge knew about any sport besides racing could be fit into the head of a pin.

"I don't know!" Fudge answered. "I don't watch sport! I'm just asking if anybody else _did_!"

Everyone laughed.

"Well, Fudge, none of us watched the sport last night", Sheriff informed her. "We were all up at the Wheel Well for Francesco's farewell party."

" _Touché_ ", Fudge admitted, her mouth still full of scrambled eggs.

"Fudge, don't talk with your mouth full", Luigi scolded softly.

Fudge just gave an embarrassed smile.

"Well, that was a fun party last night!" Mater proclaimed.

"Yeah!" Fudge grinned, thinking back to herself doing the "Gangnam Style" dance.

"It wasn't fun when the hippie kept trying to put on blasted Hendrix!" Sarge grumbled. As far as Fudge knew, Sarge had never referred to the famous guitarist simply as Hendrix. He always had to make his feelings known with a word like _blasted_ or other words that Fudge would never even dream of repeating.

Fudge made a face. "Ew. Hendrix."

"Come on, man!" Fillmore ruffled a playful tyre through Fudge's hair. "I'll teach you to respect the classics."

"No!" Fudge cried, horrified. "Not Hendrix!"

Everyone laughed.

After some discussion about random topics, Lightning sighed. "Well, I guess I'd better see how Francesco's going."

"With what?" Ramone questioned.

"He's leaving today and he has a _lot_ of packing to do!" Sally laughed. "His Cozy Cone looks like a tornado went through it."

Fudge giggled.

By the time Lightning returned to the Cozy Cone, Francesco was in surprisingly good shape. He had gotten almost everything packed away and there were just a couple of last-minute items left to go.

"Wow!" McQueen was impressed. "You've gotten a lot done while I was gone! What do you say we go and get you some oil now before you check out?"

The Italian formula car nodded as they made their way over to Flo's. " _Si_. That sounds good. Then we will go to the city."

"Yeah. Oh! And Fudge is coming with us."

"Which one is Fudge again?"

"The human."

"She wants to race with you on the track?"

"Yeah. Well, that and she loves long rides _and_ the airport", Lightning explained. "When she heard me talking about it last night, she asked if she could come with us. I couldn't exactly say no."

"No", Francesco agreed. "Of course not. You really care about her."

"Yeah. She's like my baby sister. I love her to bits."

"Francesco sees that."

The two of them parked at Flo's for a while, sipping their oil and talking about racing, stopping only when Sally rolled past.

"Hey, Stickers!" she called.

"Hey, Sally!" Lightning called.

" _Ciao,_ _Signorina_ Sally!" Francesco added.

"Hey, Francesco!"

The two of them watched Sally as she kept going up towards the firehouse where Fudge was gardening with Red.

"Hey, Red!" the Porsche greeted the firetruck. "Could I steal the lovely Fudge now?"

Red smiled and nodded.

"Hi, Sally!" Fudge smiled at her.

"Hey, sweetie", Sally responded. "I've got a job for you. Do you want to come back with me to the Cozy Cone?"

"By 'Do you want to come back with me to the Cozy Cone?', you mean, "Come back with me to the Cozy Cone!' I don't have a choice, do I?"

Sally laughed. "You don't _have_ to help me if you don't want to!" she informed Fudge. "I just have a job for you if you do!"

"Okay!" Fudge leapt up and wiped her hands on her camouflage pants. "See ya, Red!" she called with a smile as she followed Sally back to the Cozy Cone. "See ya, Stanley!" she added, glancing at the statue of the town's founder.

Red returned the smile and waved to the girl.

" _Signorina_ Sally is _bellissima_!" Francesco proclaimed dreamily as Sally rolled past with Fudge.

"Hey! That's my girlfriend!" Lightning cried.

"Well, Francesco has said it before and he will say it again", the formula car sighed dreamily. "Lightning McQueen is the luckiest car in the world."

"I know!" Lightning sighed dreamily as well.

After the pair finished off their oil, they returned to the Cozy Cone Motel to get Francesco checked out.

"Hi, Lightning! Hi, Francesco!" Fudge called cheerily as she glanced up from her task of organising some files.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" Lightning smiled at her warmly.

"Here to check out, Francesco?" Sally asked.

" _Si_." He handed over the key. " _Grazie, Signorina_ Sally."

"No problem", she assured him. "Please come again."

" _Si_ ", he repeated. "Francesco will."

"What time is it?" Fudge wanted to know.

Sally checked. "Eleven-fifteen."

"Thanks... I think I'm done, so is it okay if I go home? I kinda wanna go and chill before we _go to the airport_!" She finished her sentence excitedly.

"Sure, sweetie", Sally responded. "Thanks for your help."

"No problem." She stopped and looked at Lightning and Francesco. "I'll see you guys soon."

"See ya, Fudge!" Lightning called.

She smiled and gave both Sally and Lightning a kiss. Then she started to skip off to go back home, only to be stopped by Sarge, who was out mowing his lawn _again_. After watching him talk to Fudge for a couple of seconds, she nodded and sped off in the opposite direction of Casa Della Tires.

"So, have you enjoyed your stay, Francesco?" Sally questioned.

" _Si_. The holidays have been _fantastico_! The New Year's party, Francesco's farewell party! Beating McQueen has been _fantastico_! It has all been _fantastico_!"

Lightning rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. "Not as _fantastico_ as beating Francesco!"

"And _grazie_ for teaching Francesco how to race on dirt." The formula car sounded sincere.

"No problem", Lightning assured him. "I remember my first time racing on dirt. Doc tricked me into racing, knowing I wouldn't be able to handle it and I ended up in a patch of cacti."

Both Sally and Francesco burst out laughing.

"I remember that!" Sally remarked. "You _did_ kind of deserve it!"

"Hey!" Lightning cried defensively.

"Well, it's true!"

"What happened?" Francesco wanted to know.

Lightning rolled his eyes and recounted the story of how Doc had challenged him to a race on his first day in town.

"He hadn't even been here twenty-four hours", Sally recalled, laughing, "and already, he'd destroyed the road, hit on me, tried to escape, pushed Fudge into a brick wall, done an awful job of fixing the road, insulted the town and lost a bet because he was too cocky!"

Lightning rolled his eyes yet again. Everyone in town loved to tease him about his not-so-gracious debut in Radiator Springs. "Well, it all worked out in the end, didn't it? I fixed the road, I learned to drift and I got you!" He kissed her fender.

"Yes", Sally agreed. "I wouldn't have had it any other way."

The three of them parked around, talking until Lightning checked the time.

"Time to get Fudge!" he announced.

"Okay, Stickers, why don't you go and get Fudge while I get Francesco checked out?" Sally suggested.

"All right." McQueen was about to take off when Sally stopped him.

"When will you be back?"

"Not sure. It depends on a lot of stuff. I was just gonna call Luigi and Guido later and let them know what's going on."

"All right. Well, is it okay if I call you later?"

"Of course it is." He gave Sally another kiss. "See you later, Sal."

The Porsche returned the kiss. "See you later. Love you."

"Love you more!"

Lightning sped off in the direction of Casa Della Tires. He got there to find Fudge helping Luigi and Guido set up a tyre display.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" he called out.

She turned around and lit up with a huge grin. "Hi!"

"You ready to go?"

"I think so." Fudge turned back to her fathers. "Unless you guys need me to stay and-"

"No, no, no, no!" Luigi cut her off. "It is okay. You go with McQueen."

"Okay!" Fudge gave him a kiss.

" _Grazie_ for your help, angel." He returned her kiss.

"Not sure when we'll be back", Lightning piped up. "It depends on a lot of stuff. Traffic, when we're bored... So, I'll call you when we're on our way home."

Luigi nodded. "Okay." He trusted Lightning. " _Grazie_. Just look after her."

"Of course I will", McQueen assured him and Luigi knew he would.

Fudge had run off and returned with her magnets and helmet. Then she turned to Luigi and Guido for hugs and kisses.

"Have fun, Fudgie." Luigi gave her another kiss. "We will see you tonight, okay?"

"Okay." Again, she returned the kiss.

"(Goodbye, Fudge)", Guido added, also giving her a kiss. "(Stay safe, okay?)"

"(I will)", she promised, giving her other father a kiss too. "(I love you, Guido.)"

"(I love you too)", he replied.

"And I love _you_ , Luigi!" Fudge called cheerfully as she leapt up onto Lightning's roof and they drove off.

"I love you too, Fudge!"

" _Ciao_ , Lizzie!" Fudge called to the elderly Model T, who was out on her porch.

"What?! What did you say?!"

"I said bye!" Fudge answered loudly.

"What?!" Lizzie asked again.

"You know she can't hear you no matter how loud you speak, Fudge!" Ramone reminded her, chuckling. He was just crossing the intersection to head over to Flo's for lunch.

"Yeah, after twelve years, I should know!" Fudge groaned.

"Come on, Fudge-O! Francesco's waiting for us!" McQueen informed her. "And we gotta get our lunch from Flo. She made us sandwiches."

"What kind of sandwiches?" the twelve-year-old wanted to know.

"I think you got a cheese one."

"Ooh! Yum!"

"Lightning McQueen!" Francesco called. "Are we leaving now? Francesco was-a worried that you were much too slow for him!"

Lightning chuckled. "No. We're ready to go now, Francesco. Just as soon as we pick up our lunch from Flo's."

Flo seemed to have overheard him because she drove over to him at that exact moment with the sandwiches as well as some other snacks. "Here they are, honey!"

"Thanks, Flo!"

"Thanks, Flo!" Fudge echoed.

" _Grazie_ ", Francesco added.

"No problem", the former show car assured them. "Now, you better get going if you wanna use the track before Francesco's flight. And be careful. Weather report says a storm should be hittin' some time this evenin'."

"Right!" Lightning agreed. "Let's go!"

"All right. I'll see you when you get back, honey!" Flo turned to Fudge. "Now, you get out of here before you explode, sugar!"

Fudge didn't say anything. She just giggled.

So, they were on their way!

"Hi, Sarge! Bye, Sarge!" Fudge called to the Jeep, waving as they drove past the surplus hut. "We're going to the airport!"

He smiled as he returned the wave. "Yes you are! Well, have fun, soldier! See you later!"

"Yeah, we will", Lightning agreed.

" _Ciao_!" Francesco called to Sarge.

" _Ciao_!" Fudge echoed.

"Bye, Fillmore!" Fudge called in a singsong voice.

"See ya, Fillmore!" Lightning added.

" _Ciao_!" That was Francesco.

"You goin' to the airport now?" the hippie van asked.

"Yeah!" Fudge and Lightning chorused. "We'll see you later."

"Just remember to respect the classics, man!"

"No!" Fudge groaned. "Not Hendrix!"

Fillmore laughed.

"See ya, buddy!" Mater called, driving past. "See ya, Mr. San Francisco!"

"No goodbye for me?" Fudge pretended to sound hurt.

"You're leavin' too?"

"Yeah, Fudge is coming with us", Lightning confirmed. "Later, Mater!" he added.

"Later, Mater!"

The tow truck laughed. "Later, Mater! That's funny right there!"

"Yeah!" Fudge grinned. "Today's comedians could learn from that!"

"Well, I'll see y'all when you get back!... Wait. When is you gonna be back?" Mater wanted to know.

"Don't worry, Mater!" Fudge giggled. "I'll make sure he's back in time to go tractor tipping with you!"

"All right. Then y'all have fun! I'll see ya later! 'Cept for you, Mr. San Francisco!"

"Have fun and be careful, you three!" were Sheriff's parting words for Lightning, Francesco and Fudge.

"We always do", Fudge responded with a cheeky grin.

Sheriff gave a doubtful chuckle, but said nothing more.

Once they were out of town, Fudge started softly singing "Life is a Highway", gradually getting louder. After a while, Lightning joined in and the pair ended up singing the entire song.

Francesco was just staring at them. "What is that song?" he questioned when they were done.

"'Life is a Highway.'"

"Yeah", Fudge added. "We always sing it on the road. It's one of our favourite songs."

"How does it-a go again?" Francesco added.

"Okay. It starts with..."

They spent nearly half an hour singing the song at the top of their lungs and laughing until they grew bored with it. That was when they started to play a very silly game of I Spy.

"I spy with my little eye", Lightning began thoughtfully, "something beginning with... B!"

"Boobies!" Fudge exclaimed, giggling.

Lightning chuckled. "Fudge, I'm being serious here."

"Bananas?" Francesco joined Fudge in being silly.

"Where can you see bananas?" Lightning demanded, trying to sound exasperated, but he couldn't help laughing.

"Baboons!" Fudge hooted.

Pretty soon, all three of them were laughing so hard they could barely talk.

"I should've known you wouldn't be able to take this seriously, Fudge!"

Fudge merely grinned.

"Here we are!" Lightning announced as they pulled up to the speedway in the city.

"Here we are!" Fudge echoed, leaping off the race car's roof. "This is a good track!" she declared before rambling on and on about the history and stats of the speedway.

"You have been here before?" Francesco asked.

"Sure", Lightning responded. "We have a race here once a year in the Piston Cup and I come here whenever I wanna race on asphalt. We don't have a lot of that in Radiator Springs."

"And you can't race on the asphalt we _do_ have!" Fudge added, giggling. "Because Sheriff will arrest you!"

"Yeah..." Lightning agreed, chuckling, and Francesco couldn't help but get the feeling that his rival was talking from experience.

"So, Francesco", Lightning began as they entered the speedway. "We got a bit of time till your flight and we can stay here as long as we want." He had gotten permission to use the track for the day. "What do you say we take a couple of laps?" He grinned, knowing exactly what the answer was going to be.

"Of course!" the Italian formula car responded. "Francesco has enough time before his flight to beat McQueen again."

The race car rolled his eyes. "Oh. You're gonna regret that!"

It was only a matter of minutes before the two race cars were ready on the track.

"Let's go racing!" Fudge cried.

"Hey! How come you're not wearing your race day stuff?" Lightning wondered, eyeing her outfit: dark blue London fleece jacket; yellow T-shirt with the words RADIATOR SPRINGS GATEWAY TO ORNAMENT VALLEY on the front; camouflage pants and red sneakers.

"I would've, but it was in the wash." The girl gestured to her shirt. "At least this is Radiator Springs. It shows I'm part of the Radiator Springs race team!"

Lightning chuckled. "I guess so... Okay, Fudge-O. Why don't you let me and Francesco take a couple of laps and then, I'll take you, all right?" The human girl pouted, feeling like she was going to be left out, so he added, "Hey! Why don't you wave the flag to start the race?"

"And the checkered flag at the end?" she questioned hopefully.

"Sure!" he agreed, chuckling.

"Yay!" she cheered, grabbing the flag.

"Okay! You ready?"

"Ready!" she confirmed, standing in front of the two racers. "Are _you_ ready?"

The two racers responded by revving their engines, making Fudge jump. She didn't really like loud noises. She was long used to the sound of engines, but occasionally, it still made her jump.

"On your marks!" she cried. "Get set... _Grow_!"

Francesco stared at her, confused, for a moment while Lightning shot off.

Fudge burst out laughing. "I said _grow_ , not _go_! You're disqualified!"

" _Fudge_!" Lightning groaned, but he was laughing. He couldn't believe that Fudge had done that.

"Well, that's what you get for being mean to me on New Year's!" the human insisted.

"Okay, okay", he admitted, returning to the starting line. "I guess I deserved that!"

"Okay, okay, for real, this time", Fudge promised. "On your marks, marks, marks!" she shouted, trying to make her voice sound like an echo. "Get set, get set, get set... _Go_!"

She lowered the flag and, once again, they were off. Lightning was just a little bit in front of Francesco, but that would be easy ground for Francesco to make up. The two were bumper to bumper, constantly overtaking each other, both with huge grins on their faces. Lightning kept focused on the race most of the time, but every now and then, he caught a glimpse of Fudge, watching from the pit area with a big smile on her face. He knew she was imagining what it would be like to go that fast herself and dreaming of the day she became an assistant crew chief. He knew without a doubt that it would happen for her. She had a lot of stuff.

" _All right, Fudge-O_!" Lightning called into the radio after about an hour. " _We got_ _time to take you for a couple laps before we gotta go to the airport, all right?_ "

"Yeah!" she cheered.

Lightning laughed. " _All right. We're coming in now. You got the checkered flag?_ "

"Yep! Right here!" She held it up before moving in closer to the track.

" _Good girl!_ "

As he made it around the fourth and final turn, Lightning narrowed his eyes determinedly. Of course, it wasn't an official race, but he never lost that competitive spark in him. It was always there. The finish line was so close he could almost taste it. He was ahead of Francesco and that was exactly what he wanted. All he needed was one last burst of energy and...

Before he knew what happened, Francesco came from nowhere and overtook him, crossing the finish line first.

"Ha, ha!" the Italian formula car laughed. "I told you! Francesco is McQueen's superior in every way!"

Lightning just rolled his eyes again, though, he was still smiling.

"I'm ready!" Fudge changed the subject, pulling on her magnets and helmet. She climbed back onto Lightning's roof. "Let's do this!"

"All right..." Lightning chuckled at her enthusiasm. She sounded an awful lot like him when he was eager to race. He, along with Francesco, took a couple of seconds to get ready before the former yelled, " _ **GO**_ **!** "

And just like that, they were off again. It was obvious to both Lightning and Francesco that Fudge was loving every second of it. She was laughing, whooping with joy and calling out tips and observations to Lightning. He had to smile and thank her. He couldn't wait until she was old enough to do this with him for real.

This went on for about an hour before Lightning and Francesco decided that it was probably time to get going.

"You'd probably wanna get to the airport early", Lightning reasoned. "You know, with security and crazy fans and everything..."

" _Si_ ", Francesco agreed. "Francesco wants to go now. Well, after he beats McQueen."

"So, we're going now, all right, Fudge?"

Fudge didn't answer.

"Fudge?"

Still nothing.

" _Fudge_!"

Fudge turned to Lightning, grinning sheepishly. "Yeah?"

The race car chuckled. "Wow! You were miles away, weren't you?" He shook his hood before continuing, "This is gonna have to be the last lap. Then we're going to the airport."

"Okay..." It was obvious that she was trying not to sound disappointed.

"Hey! Come on! We're gonna go to the airport, watch a couple of planes. You were so excited about that", he reminded her. "Then we'll go out for dinner and, if you want, we can come back after that. Just you and me." It would probably be pretty late by then, but why not? How often did Guido and Luigi let Fudge stay up past midnight? Hardly ever.

"Really?"

Lightning smiled, noting how happy Fudge sounded. "Sure. We got the speedway for the whole day."

"Okay!" the twelve-year-old agreed.

"Yeah? That sound good?" He knew it did.

"Yeah!" she cheered.

"All right..." That was the end of the conversation as Lightning and Francesco continued on for a final lap.

McQueen came in first this time.

"Do some donuts!" Fudge requested gleefully.

"All right, just a couple", he relented. "Last time I had you with me when I did donuts, you almost threw up." Of course, he wanted to look after her, but he couldn't _not_ let her have fun either.

The human girl laughed like crazy as she was spun around and Lightning found himself laughing along with her.

"We won, we won!" she hollered as he came to a stop.

"Yeah we did!" Lightning agreed with a grin. "We make a pretty good team, Fudge-O. You're gonna be a great assistant crew chief one day." And he really meant it.

Fudge's face lit up at the compliment. "Really?!"

"Really."

" _Si_ ", Francesco piped up. "Francesco sees that you have talent too. And Francesco knows talent because he knows himself."

"Thanks! I still can't believe we won!" the twelve-year-old gushed, hugging McQueen. "We gotta get our trophy!"

"Fudge, you know there's no actual trophy, right?" Lightning reminded her.

"Just go with it!" she ordered.

"Right..." the amused race car agreed.

He couldn't stop chuckling as Fudge removed her shoe to pretend it was a trophy and he laughed all the way through Fudge's speech.

"I'd like to thank my family back in Radiator Springs..." she began, proceeding to name every single one of them individually. "And the fans... and the Piston Cup and the hot dog guy..."

"All right!" Lightning put a stop to it after about three minutes. It was kind of funny, but they really had to get going.

"Okay", she agreed reluctantly, pulling her shoe back on and climbing back onto Lightning's roof.

"All right. Let's go!"

"That was fun!" Fudge declared once they were driving through the city streets.

"Yeah, it was!" Lightning agreed.

" _Si_!" Francesco chimed in. "We will have to do that again when Francesco comes back!"

"Yeah, we will!"

"Yeah, we can't wait to beat you again!" Fudge teased.

"Well, Francesco can't wait to beat _you_ again!"

"Not a chance!" Fudge argued.

Lightning laughed. "All right. When Francesco gets back, we can have fun beating each other again! For now, how about another round of 'Life is a Highway'?"

"Okay!" Fudge agreed, beginning to sing.

"There's a plane!" Fudge cried abruptly after about forty-five minutes.

Lightning looked where she was. "Oh, yeah!"

"Where d'you think it came from?"

Lightning smiled, knowing that Fudge often wondered these things before replying with, "I don't know."

"Well, it says American Airlines", Francesco observed.

"Yeah, but we're _in_ America", the tween pointed out. "It could've come from Europe or someplace."

"That's true..." McQueen agreed. He turned to Francesco. "You're flying with American Airlines, right?" he wanted to confirm.

The Italian racer nodded. " _Si_."

"There's another plane!" Fudge pointed to it. This one was taking off.

"Where does Francesco check in?"

Lightning gave him an odd look. "Haven't you ever checked in for a flight before?"

"No. This is-a Francesco's first time travelling alone. He has always had someone to do it for him."

"Well, the check-in desk is right here. Come on, Fudge! Fudge?"

The two racers looked at the twelve-year-old human girl, who was just staring up at the flight board, interested in where every single plane was going.

Lightning chuckled. "Let's just leave her. We'll get her when it's time to move."

So, with no help from Fudge, Francesco was checked in and so was his baggage.

"Maybe you ought to travel alone more often", Lightning suggested with a teasing smile. "That way, you get used to doing this stuff."

"Why would Francesco _want_ to travel alone?"

"You wouldn't, I guess", the stock car admitted. _He_ didn't like travelling alone. "Still, you might have to one day. Come on, Fudge-O", he added, letting the human scramble onto his roof.

However, before they could get any closer to security, a voice screamed out, "Oh, my gosh! It's Lightning McQueen! _And_ Francesco Bernoulli!"

"And McQueen's adorable cheerleader!" another voice added. Since she was Lightning McQueen's cheerleader, Fudge had become a celebrity in her own right. "Hi, Fudge!"

Out of nowhere, a black BMW, who was about seventeen, came racing up to the two racers. "Oh, my God! I love you so much!" She thrust a piece of paper at them, which appeared to be a receipt for the airport's Burger King. "Can I have your autograph?!"

Lightning and Francesco grinned. They had plenty of time before Francesco's flight.

"Sure. What's your name?!"

"Brittany! Brittany Margaret Williams!"

"Brittany?" Lightning repeated, surprised. He gestured to his little sister beside him. "Fudge's real name is Brittney!"

Brittany looked at Fudge in amazement. "Really?!"

"Probably different spelling, though", Fudge guessed.

"How _do_ you spell your name?" Lightning asked Brittany, who he was signing an autograph for. "I wanna make sure I get it right."

"B-R-I-T-T-A-N-Y."

"Yep. Different spelling", Fudge confirmed. "Mine's N-E-Y."

Brittany laughed. "You're so cute!" she informed Fudge, who was wondering what was so funny and cute about what she'd said.

After Brittany, there were dozens of people wanting photos and autographs with the famous racers and occasionally the cheerleader. The words Lightning and Francesco heard the most in that time were, "I love you!" and for Fudge, they were, "You're so cute!"

"All right!" Lightning called out once all of the fans gathered had everything they wanted. "We'd better get going now. Francesco has a flight to catch. Thank you all so much!"

Once again, Fudge had returned to McQueen's roof as he and Francesco tried to shuffle through the crowd.

"You're lucky I didn't tell everyone _your_ real name!" Fudge whispered to her brother. She hated her real name just as much as he hated his.

He just laughed. "You wouldn't do that!"

"Yes I would, Monty!"

"Ssh!" Lightning hissed. "What if someone hears you?"

Fudge just laughed.

"Francesco! Where are you going?!" everyone called out as they left.

"Francesco is returning home to _Italia_ ", he explained. "He has spent Christmas here in America and now he is going home."

That wasn't enough to satisfy the fans, who continued to fire question after question at the race cars, who ignored them and made their way somewhere more secluded to do some plane-watching before Francesco _really_ had to leave.

"Look!" Fudge pointed. "That's a Japan Airlines flight! Remember when _we_ went to Japan? That was fun... Sort of", she added, remembering all of the crazy things that happened when they went to Japan.

"Yeah." Lightning nodded. "That's where we met Francesco."

" _Si_." Francesco cast an annoyed look at Fudge. "And you got in Francesco's way when he was having a photo with your tow truck _amico_."

Fudge grinned sheepishly. "Sorry", she giggled. "I still have that photo. Do you wanna see it when you come back?" she joked.

"No! Francesco does not want to see it!"

They were all laughing by then.

"Well, I hope our next visit to Japan is much better", Lightning commented. "We're going there later in the year."

"I know." Fudge grinned. "Can't wait!"

"Wow!" Lightning exclaimed. "That plane's going to the Caribbean! I've always wanted to go to the Caribbean!"

"Yeah! Me too", Fudge agreed.

Lightning smiled. "Well, we'll have to find some time to go there. You know, if we can with all the racing trips we're taking."

"Maybe you could race in the Caribbean", Fudge mused with a smile.

Her brother shrugged with a smile of his own. "Why not?"

After about ten minutes of similar commentaries on every plane they saw, Lightning started to drive away. "Come on, guys. Francesco's flight's gonna be boarding soon and he needs to get through security. We better get going."

Fudge stood up and followed as did Francesco. "All right."

"Well, Francesco", Lightning began sincerely once the Italian formula car was at the back of the line and his carry-ons were loaded onto the conveyor belt, "it's been fun. And don't forget. You're welcome to come back to Radiator Springs anytime."

"Francesco would like that", he replied equally sincerely. "He is looking forward to beating you in a race again already."

" _No way_!" Fudge shouted, attracting several people's attention. Well, those who weren't already staring at the two famous race cars. "Lightning will kick your bumper!"

Francesco just smirked. "And you are welcome to visit Francesco in Italy anytime too. He can beat you there too."

McQueen laughed. "Well, Fudge here goes with her parents once a year. Maybe I can tag along later in the year." Fudge, Guido and Luigi had an annual trip to Italy to visit Luigi's family and do some sightseeing in other parts of the country as well.

"Maybe", Fudge agreed. "I'm not sure when we're going yet."

"Well, this year's just started. I'm sure we'll figure it out", the stock car assured her before turning back to Francesco. "And we gotta talk to the other racers about when we're all getting together."

His fellow racer nodded in agreement. " _Si_. But for now, Francesco can't wait to go home and see his mama." He started to roll off and didn't fail to make a big show of the CIAO MCQUEEN bumper sticker he still had. " _Ciao_ , McQueen! _Ciao, Signorina_ Fudge!"

"Ka- _ciao_ , Francesco!" the two echoed in unison teasingly.

Lightning and Fudge watched as Francesco went through security. Then he was gone.

"Lightning?"

"Yes, Fudge?"

"Do you wanna look at some more planes?"

"Sure", he responded, leading his little sister over to the windows. "Then we'll get dinner and head back to the track. Sound good?"

She nodded, so Lightning kissed her and they stared out the window.

"Where do you think that American Airlines flight's going?" Fudge wondered, pointing to the plane taking off.

"Maybe Paris?" Lightning suggested.

The twelve-year-old nodded. "Paris is good. My time there was weirder than Japan, though. And scarier. We were in a coffee shop and the Lemons blew it up."

"Yeah. I remember you telling me."

"Then we had to go back in to save Finn. I was _inside a burning building_!"

"Must've been very scary", Lightning commented.

"It was!" Then, wanting to change the subject, Fudge pointed to another plane coming into land. "Air China. I wonder what city it came from. Maybe Beijing or Shanghai", she named the first two Chinese cities that came to mind.

"Yeah." Lightning looked around. "What about people? You see that white Toyota over there with the green suitcase? Where do you think he's going?"

Fudge thought. "The Bahamas. Because he has a job that he hates and just wants to relax. He kind of looks like he's a little stressed, doesn't he?"

Lightning nodded. "All right. You see that pink forklift and the purple Mini Cooper? They've been best friends all their lives and now, they're finally going on their dream vacation to Spain together."

It was Fudge's turn to nod. "Cool! We went to Spain last year. It was so good! Okay... What about..." She scanned the crowd of people. "...the green Ford Focus?"

"You ready to go?" Lightning quizzed his sister after an hour and a half of doing this.

"I guess so", she replied.

"I'm starving", Lightning declared.

"Yeah. Me too."

"What do you say, Fudge-O? Pizza for dinner?" McQueen suggested.

The human's eyes lit up. She _loved_ pizza. "Yeah! Can we get stuffed crust?!"

The race car grinned. "Sure! As long as we get pineapple on it too!" he teased her.

Fudge wrinkled up her face. "Yuck!"

He chuckled, pulling his sister in close to him and ruffling her hair. "All right. Let's go!"

" **LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!** " a voice screamed on their way out.

"Where did Francesco Bernoulli go?" a purple Ferrari wondered, sounding disappointed.

"I love you! Can I have an autograph?!"

"Awww! You have Fudge with you! She's _adorable_!"

Lightning chuckled. "Here we go again!"

Fudge had to admit that it was pretty exciting to get recognised when she was out and about. However, sometimes, she didn't like it. Like now. It was starting to get old, plus she was hungry. Still, she knew she had to suck it up and pose for photos and sign autographs for fans, acting like she didn't mind when it got to the point where she kind of did.

"Sorry about that", Lightning apologised to her, smiling sheepishly when they were on their way. "Fame is a blessing and a curse. You were very good, though."

"It's okay", she assured him. "I'm getting used to it."

"I hope you do because you'll be dealing with it much more soon." He gave her a kiss. "You're gonna be a famous racer too one day. I just know it!"

The twelve-year-old beamed. "Thanks!"

They stopped at the first pizza place they saw, which seemed to be quite nice. It was quiet and clean and seemed to be family-friendly.

"Lightning? I'm going..." Fudge pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. I'll order. You wanted a cheese pizza, right?" Fudge nodded. "What drink do you want?"

"Surprise me."

"All right. You're getting pineapple-flavoured oil!"

Fudge made a face. "Yuck!" she giggled.

"Go to the bathroom, Fudge."

Still laughing, she went.

While Fudge was gone, Lightning ordered and parked at a table, only for his phone to ring.

"Hello?" he answered it.

" _McQueen!_ " Luigi's voice responded. " _It is Luigi. I was just calling to make sure you and_ _Fudge are okay._ "

"Yeah, we're fine. Fudge has just gone to the bathroom. I'll let you talk to her when she gets back."

" _Okay... Where are you now?_ "

"We're just having dinner."

" _And then are you coming home?_ "

"Maybe. We might go back to the track, but I'm not sure yet... Oh, here's Fudge!" Lightning had just noticed the human girl coming out of the bathroom. He waved to her. "Fudge!"

"Did you already order?" Fudge wanted to know when she found Lightning parked at a table.

"Yep. Got you a pineapple pizza and pineapple-flavoured oil."

"I _told_ you I wanted cheese!"

"Well, you're getting pineapple!" He laughed and handed the phone over to her. "It's Luigi."

Fudge took it. "Hi, Luigi!"

"Ciao _! I was just calling to make sure you were still okay._ "

"Yeah, I'm fine... We're just having dinner."

" _What are you having?_ "

"Pizza!"

" _That sounds good... Have you had a good day?_ "

"Yeah!" Fudge described the day she had.

" _T_ _hat does sound like a good day, Fudgie. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and I still have work to do here. So, I will let you go. Is it okay if I just talk to McQueen again?_ "

"Okay. I love you!

" _I love you too, angel! Enjoy your pizza!_ "

Fudge giggled, handing the phone over to Lightning. "He wants to talk to you."

"Hey, Luigi!"

" _I just wanted to remind you to call me when you were coming home._ "

"Yeah, yeah. I will. You've got nothing to worry about. Fudge is fine."

" _I know she is, but Fudge is my daughter. I am never going to stop worrying about her._ "

Lightning chuckled. "Guess not... All right. I'll talk to you later."

" _Okay. Give Fudgie a big kiss for me._ "

"I will. Bye."

"Ciao _!_ "

When Lightning hung up, he gave Fudge a big kiss on the cheek.

"That's from Luigi", he informed her with a smile. Then he gave her another kiss. "And that's from me."

"Thanks!" Fudge gave Lightning a kiss. "I'll give Luigi his kiss back when we get home."

"Good idea", Lightning assured her. Then he noticed the forklift behind the counter calling out to him. "In the meantime, our pizza's here!"

"Thanks!" Fudge called to the forklift before turning to her brother. "Thanks, Lightning. Remind me to pay you back when we get home."

Confusion took over the race car's face. "Why?"

"Come on. You've taken me out racing and taken me to the airport. The least I can do is pay for my dinner. I mean, I've got lots of money from Christmas and I-"

Lightning shook his hood. "Don't be ridiculous, Fudge. This is my treat."

"I'll just give it to you when we get home", Fudge insisted.

"Well, I'll just refuse it when we get home. But right now, your pizza's getting cold."

Fudge grinned and started eating her cheese pizza.

They both ate and drank for a while (by the way, Fudge did _not_ get pineapple-flavoured oil; she had a strawberry Fanta), listening to the radio when a familiar song came on. It was "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette.

"Oh! I love this song!" Fudge exclaimed abruptly. She started to sing.

"Not this song!" Lightning groaned.

"Come on. You love this song!"

"No I don't!"

"You're gonna start singing along in a sec!"

"No I'm not!"

Fudge began to belt out the chorus and Lightning found himself joining in almost subconsciously; quietly at first, but then he raised his voice and laughed as Fudge commenced dancing. A bunch of people were staring, but most of them were smiling.

"Who's 'not singing' now?" Fudge teased.

Her brother just rolled his eyes, still smiling.

"Hey, you know what's weird about pizza?" Fudge questioned after a while of eating in content silence once the song was over.

"How Dodge Ram delicious it is?" Lightning guessed with a smile.

"Well, yeah", the twelve-year-old admitted, also smiling broadly, "I mean, how many people do you know who don't like pizza?"

"Fillmore? Sarge?" Fillmore didn't like pizza because he was vegan whereas Sarge just wasn't into that kind of junk food.

"Yeah, well, Sarge and Fillmore aren't _normal_!"

McQueen laughed hysterically.

"Well, I was gonna say how it's a circle, cut into triangles and served in a square box."

Lightning thought that about for a second, realising that Fudge was right. "Huh. That _is_ weird."

"Told ya!" Fudge giggled.

"You know what else is weird about pizza?" Lightning asked Fudge.

"What?"

"How _you_ can end up with tomato sauce on your _forehead_ when you eat it."

The human girl grinned sheepishly. "It's a special talent."

"Hey..." Lightning glanced up at the menu once they were just about finished eating and were wrapping up a conversation about racing.

"What?"

"They do hot fudge sundaes. I don't know about you, but I could really go for some ice cream." He really could. Plus, since it was a day out for Fudge, he wanted to treat her as much as he could.

The twelve-year-old grinned. "I could _always_ go for ice cream! _And_ they have _my_ sundaes!"

Lightning chuckled. "Two hot fudge sundaes coming up."

Fudge smiled. "Thanks!

"This is good ice cream!" she declared a few minutes later.

"Yeah", Lightning agreed. "Pretty soon, I gotta start my diet!" Due to his racing career, he had to follow a strict diet most of the time, to his dismay. "I deserve some pizza and ice cream every now and then!"

"Yeah!" Fudge grinned. Her face, by this point, was a complete mess. It was covered in tomato sauce, cheese, hot fudge sauce and ice cream. That was one thing that still hadn't changed from when McQueen first met her as a five-year-old. "And it's delicious!"

"That's one thing I can agree with you on!" He stared at his ice cream longingly. "Who knows when I'll get the chance to have this again?"

"Not me!" Fudge replied. "I don't know how you can go ages without it!"

"It's just somethin' I gotta do."

"I still couldn't do it! Even if I did have a great job like yours!"

"Well, you're gonna have to one day. People say human crew chiefs are a disadvantage because of the extra weight. You're gonna have to make it a little easier on me." Both of them had always assumed that Fudge would be Lightning's assistant crew chief. She wouldn't want to work with anybody else; besides, they knew Rusty and Dusty would agree to it.

"True", Fudge realised sadly, putting some more ice cream in her mouth.

"So, you better enjoy pizza and ice cream while you can."

"Okay", Fudge murmured.

"Maybe you should start by putting more in your mouth and less on your face", the race car suggested, reaching for the napkins.

Fudge giggled.

"You finished?" Lightning asked a few minutes later.

"Hold on!" Fudge was trying to dig through the cup with her spoon, determined to get the last little bits of ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

"I think it's gone!" her brother informed her with a laugh. He reached over and wiped the human girl's face.

"What time is it?" Fudge wanted to know.

Lightning checked on his phone.

"Eight o'clock", he announced. "Well, Fudge-O, we better get a move on if we want another go on the track before we head home."

"All right!" she agreed, leaping up. "A great end to a great day!"

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you've had a great day!" Lightning told her, giving her a gentle kiss. "I have too. But we still got a little more fun time left if we hurry, so let's go!"

So, Lightning paid for their food and drinks, Fudge pulled on her jacket, magnets and helmet once more and they left. They were heading back to the track.

"Let's go racing!" Fudge hollered once they were out on the streets.

However, if they'd known- if they'd had _any_ idea- what was going to happen, they never would've returned...

 **I hope you weren't expecting anything exciting because obviously, that wasn't. I just thought maybe you would be interested in seeing this. I could be wrong, though. Some of the dialogue seemed kind of pointless (e.g. Luigi's phone call), but I kind of wanted to show the last thing Fudge said to everyone and the last thing they said to her before the accident, either here or in the actual story. So, yeah...**

* * *

 **Okay. This next story is... not really a story. I put in my author's notes for chapter six that I probably should've done both sides of Sally and Lightning's phone call, so here it is. It consists mainly of dialogue because it's a phone conversation, but I had to get it out of script format because that would be violating the site rules.**

"Hey, Stickers", Sally greeted her boyfriend when she took the phone from Mater, completely unaware that anything was wrong. "What's up?"

Lightning sighed with relief. Finally! He was talking to Sally. Right away, he felt a little better. Just a little, though. "Sally! Boy, am I glad to hear your voice!"

"Why?" Sally wondered, puzzled. "We only spoke just over an hour ago."

"I know, but-" the stock car began.

"So, are you on your way home?" the Porsche questioned.

Lightning felt tears coming to his eyes. Oh, God! He was just going to have to get this over with. "Well, actually-"

"Because it's getting late", Sally cut him off again. "I'm sure Luigi and Guido are wondering where Fudge is. I haven't had a chance to let them know what's happening yet."

Lightning started sobbing at the sound of Fudge's name.

However, his girlfriend didn't seem to hear with all of the muffled noises in the background. She just kept repeating, "What? I can't hear you."

However, McQueen couldn't speak. He was crying way too hard.

Finally, Sally sighed. "Can you hold on a sec?"

"Sure", Lightning hiccupped.

He could hear her calling out to whoever was there (everyone, probably), "You guys! I can't hear!" Apologies were heard in the background before Sally returned to her phone conversation. "Sorry about that. So, what were you saying?"

"I've done a horrible thing, I've done a horrible thing!" Lightning blurted out, crying his eyes out. He repeated this several times.

That was when Sally realised something was wrong. "Hey... sweetie? What's wrong?"

The stock car took a deep breath. _Oh, God! Here we go!_ "There was a... a bit of an accident on the track-"

Sally gasped. " _What_?! Are you okay?!"

" _Me_?!" Lightning asked incredulously. " _I'm_ fine! I had _Fudge_ with me!"

"You had Fu-" Sally started, horrified. She stopped before she could say Fudge's name; she'd have to talk to the others properly about what had happened to the human girl. "Oh, you're _kidding_!

"I know, I know! I'm a horrible person!"

"No", his girlfriend insisted. "No, I know it was an accident."

"I'm still a horrible person, Sally!" Lightning wept. "I let Fudge get hurt! Luigi and Guido are gonna kill me, _you're_ mad at me-"

"I didn't mean to sound like that, sweetie", Sally apologised. "I was just shocked, that's all. How... How long ago did this happen?"

"What time is it?" Lightning checked on the clock on the wall. He had spent so much time watching it, thinking things like, _Fudge has been in there for ten minutes, fifteen minutes,_ _twenty minutes!_ "About forty-five minutes ago. I was out racing with her and... and she fell off my roof! Like she did at Willy's Butte the other day! Only I was going a lot faster! This is much worse!" He cried harder.

There was a long pause.

"How bad is it?" the Porsche ventured finally. Her voice was unnaturally quiet.

"It was horrible!" McQueen shuddered and sobbed louder at the memory. "The doctors won't tell me anything just yet 'cause she's still in surgery, but there was blood everywhere, bones sticking out! She was unconscious! I even had to give her _CPR_!"

"Oh, God!" Sally murmured softly as tears formed in _her_ eyes too. "Oh, God... Oh, God... This is just unbelievable! I... I..."

"I know! I'm sorry!"

"And they won't tell you anything?"

"No. Not yet..." Lightning confirmed. "God! I can't believe I've done this! I am so sorry! This is all my fault!"

"Oh, Stickers, _no_!" Sally exclaimed sympathetically. "No! Listen to me! This is _not_ your fault. These things happen. I know it's sad, but they do. It's not your fault."

"Well, they _don't_ happen to responsible people!" the race car countered bitterly.

Sally was desperate to change the subject. She felt sorry for her boyfriend as much as she felt sorry for Fudge and didn't want to hear him beat himself up anymore. "Look, we're gonna come down there. Where are you?"

Lightning told her.

"Okay."

"Come to the emergency room!" the race car instructed her. "That's where I am now. Fudge is still in surgery."

"Okay... I'll tell the others what's happened and we'll be there as soon as we can, okay?"

Lightning nodded, kind of relieved that he wouldn't be delivering the bad news to Luigi and Guido. He also didn't really want to talk. Then he remembered he _had_ to talk; Sally couldn't see him. "Okay... And, Sal? Can you please do me a favour? Can you please tell Luigi and Guido I'm sorry?"

"I will", she promised.

"And hurry!" Lightning begged. "I need you here!"

"Okay..." Sally assured him. "Okay. We'll see you soon."

"Okay!"

"Thanks for telling me."

"I love you", Lightning managed to choke out in between his sobs.

"Love you too", his girlfriend replied.

"Bye."

"Bye."

They hung up.

 **Not much else to say, except please review.**


	12. Rematch

**Normally, I don't do requests, but I thought this one was a good idea. I've included Fudge in the _Cars_ story, _Francesco's Rematch_ , which you should check out if you haven't done so already. I did try to make this one interesting and establish a realistic and likeable relationship between Fudge and Francesco. I think I failed to do both of those, but I couldn't come up with anything better, so...**

 **Rematch**

Fudge Rossi-Topolino opened her eyes as she felt the plane drop. She rubbed her eyes of any remaining bits of sleep and peered out the window to see the clouds disappearing and the ground coming into view.

"How long have I been asleep?" she mumbled, giving her eyes another rub and letting out a yawn.

"Only a couple of hours", Lightning McQueen replied. "We're almost there."

"I can't wait!" Fudge proclaimed with a smile and a yawn.

Lightning, Fudge, Mater, Guido and Luigi were on their way to Monza, Italy, the hometown of racing legend Francesco Bernoulli. He had challenged Lightning to a race there and all of Team McQueen was very excited.

"Do you think I'll get to race with you guys?" Fudge wondered as the plane continued to descend. The eleven-year-old human girl loved to race just as much as Lightning did and often did so around Willy's Butte with Lightning. Every now and then, he would even take her for laps around real racetracks where he raced.

"Maybe", Lightning answered. "I mean, it's fine with me. I just don't know if Francesco will be okay with it."

"I guess..." Fudge knew that Francesco had a habit of insulting his rivals. She remembered some of the mean insults he'd sent Lightning and Mater's way during the tow truck's phone call to _The Mel Dorado Show_ and the World Grand Prix. Sure, he hadn't seemed so bad during the Radiator Springs Grand Prix, but still, she was a little nervous about how he was going to act this time. She also hoped that she would be able to join him and Lightning in some racing. "I brought my stuff just in case."

"Well, it's good that you're prepared", Lightning informed her.

"Yes", Luigi agreed. "If you are going to be racing, then we all want you to be safe."

"Yep", Fudge confirmed. "I've got my helmet and my magnets!"

Luigi nodded. "Good girl."

"There's the airport!" Mater exclaimed, pointing out the window. "We is nearly there!"

"Yeah! Now, you're finally gonna see Italy how it was meant to be seen, Mater!" Fudge proclaimed, remembering how the last time they were in Italy, she and Mater were a little too busy to go sightseeing.

All of them grinned excitedly when they could see that the runway was indeed visible from their spots on the plane. They were here!

* * *

It wasn't long at all before the plane's wheels touched down on the runway (a little too fast!). Finally, though, they came to a stop, collected all of their belongings and headed down the tarmac.

"Okay", Lightning announced. "Now, we gotta find Francesco."

"Where do you suppose he'd be?" Fudge wanted to know, wheeling her suitcase with one hand and trying to smooth out wrinkles in her outfit from sleeping with the other. She was dressed in jeans, Converse sneakers and a white T-shirt with red sleeves and the word KA-CHOW across the front accompanied by a yellow lightning bolt. Now that she was off the plane, she also put on her cherry red racing jacket with the Rust-Eze logo on the front; bright yellow lightning bolts running down the sleeves; a black and white checkered pattern on the shoulders and Fudge 95 written across the back. (She was saving her usual race day attire- the jacket; red T-shirt with a yellow lightning bolt and number 95 on the front; red shorts; yellow and red striped knee-high socks; Lightning McQueen high-tops and a red glitter top hat- for race day)

At practically the exact same moment, all five of them became aware of a massive crowd, screaming excitedly and snapping pictures. Immediately, they all made a beeline towards the crowd.

"Francesco!" Lightning called out. "Francesco Bernoulli! It's me! Lightning McQueen!"

" **LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!** " several fans squealed, whipping around. Only a small percentage, though.

Luckily, Francesco was quick to notice them, despite the mass of people in the way.

"Ah! Lightning McQueen!" he called out, coming closer to them. "Welcome! Your plane was late, but this is no surprise! You will be late crossing the finish line too!"

Fudge let out a groan and a giggle at the same time. Francesco was cocky as ever, but it was still humorous to see.

If the look on Lightning's face was anything to go by, he felt the same way. "I am so beating him right here on his own turf!" he whispered to his friends. Then, out loud to Francesco, he added, "Hey, Francesco! It's good to see you again!"

"It is good to see you too", the Italian formula car responded sincerely. That was just the kind of relationship Lightning and Francesco had. Underneath all of the taunts and insults was a genuine friendship.

"You remember my friends", Lightning went on. "Mater, Luigi, Guido and Fudge."

" _Si_." Francesco eyed Mater and Fudge. "How could Francesco forget the two people who exposed Sir Miles Axlerod?"

"You heard about that?" Fudge sounded genuinely and pleasantly surprised. She smiled, hoping that Francesco would be impressed by that.

It seemed as though he was. "Of course! He was-a sabotaging the World Grand Prix and Francesco was-a _in_ the World Grand Prix. You are walking!" he noted abruptly, eyeing Fudge. The last time he saw the girl, she was on crutches.

Fudge and Mater couldn't help smiling.

"Well", Lightning announced, "what do you say we get out of here?"

"Yes, that is a good idea", Francesco added. "It will take a while to get past the fans!" After a pause, he added, "It is just as well your plane was late. Francesco had to deal with this on the way too."

Everyone chuckled and rolled their eyes.

* * *

All the way through the airport and outside, there were bright lights everywhere and people shouting from every direction. It was hard for Fudge to adjust.

"Francesco has-a too many fans!" boasted guess who. "Everyone knows he will win the race!"

"Nobody has more fans than Lightnin' McQueen!" Mater insisted.

"Lightning's the best!" Fudge chimed in, jumping up and down excitedly. After being confined to her seat for the last several hours, she had bundles of energy.

"Look around!" Francesco waved his tyre at the crowd. "Most of these-a cars are here to see Francesco!"

"That's 'cause we're in Italy!" Fudge pointed out. "If we were in America, more fans would be here to see Lightning!"

Of course, Francesco was sceptical, so Guido raced off to grab the mailbags to prove it. In a matter of minutes, he returned with several bags overflowing with fan letters.

All that did was make the American race car embarrassed. "It's really not that big a deal-" he started.

He was cut off by one of Francesco's pitties bringing forward twice as many mailbags as Guido had with him.

"You are right, McQueen!" Francesco informed him. "It _is_ no big deal! Because Francesco has much, much more fan mail!"

"Wow!" Fudge whispered. She had to admit, she was impressed. She turned to Lightning. "Do you think I'll get this much fan mail when I'm a racer too?" Fudge wasn't interested in racing for the fame, but still, it did seem like a pretty cool perk.

He gave a soft chuckle. "Maybe."

Francesco gave the human girl an odd look, which went unnoticed by everyone. Did she just say when she was a _racer_? That didn't make sense to the Italian formula car, but he chose to ignore it.

* * *

"Letters are great", Lightning informed Francesco, "but nothing beats talking to our fans face to face." He made his way over to the mass of cars and occasional humans lined up to meet the two famous racers, calling out things like, "Hey! How you doing?!"

"Oh, my gosh!" some of the fans screamed at the tops of their lungs. " **IT'S LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!** "

"Can I have my picture with you?!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Sure!"

The rest of his team snapped pictures of Lightning with his fans while he chattered away to them about racing.

"Hey! You're Fudge Rossi-Topolino, aren't you?!" a human girl about fourteen years old asked the eleven-year-old cheerleader, grabbing her arm.

"I am, yeah." It was pretty exciting for Fudge to be recognised, even though she still wasn't used to it.

Mater really got the crowd going too. Thanks to him, everyone was chanting, "Lightning! Lightning!"

Francesco mumbled some annoyed Italian. "And what about autographs?!" he questioned as his pitties showed up with stacks of photos of the racer. "Watch and be amazed!" He spun his wheels, leaving his tread mark on each photo, and sent them flying into the crowd. "See? Francesco always gets things done at three hundred kilometres an hour!"

"How much _is_ that in miles?" Fudge wanted to know.

"Not as fast as me!" Lightning whispered with a grin. "But don't tell Francesco!"

Fudge nodded, giggling.

* * *

Finally, the group managed to get through the mass crowd and were able to relax when they arrived at a café. All of the vehicles got oil while Fudge had some orange juice (she'd wanted a Coke, but Luigi was quick to put a stop to that).

"Hey, Mr. San Francisco!" Mater exclaimed abruptly. "Nobody drinks oil faster than Lightnin' McQueen!"

"What?" Nobody was more surprised than Lightning himself. "Mater, I can't-"

"Go on, buddy!" the tow truck encouraged his best friend. "Show 'em what I done taught ya!"

Lightning sighed before polishing off his can of oil as fast as he could, prompting some laughter from Fudge.

"Did you even _taste_ the oil?" she joked. That was what her family often said to her when she ate her food too fast. Luigi and Guido laughed at her comments.

Francesco, on the other tyre, looked kind of disgusted. "Francesco never guzzles", he informed his guests. "A true racer savours his oil."

"So, you don't do _everything_ at three hundred kilometres an hour", Fudge pointed out with a small smile. She was trying to make a joke in an attempt to get Francesco to like her. In recent years, she got like that when she was nervous around people, making an extra effort to be smart and funny to get them to like her.

However, Francesco said nothing. He just made a face and returned to sipping his oil slowly.

* * *

Lightning ordered a second can of oil and he drank this one at a much slower pace. It seemed as though that was all he needed to be ready to go.

"How about a warm-up before the big race?" he suggested to Francesco.

"Ah! A good idea, McQueen!" Francesco agreed with an enthusiastic nod.

"Do you wanna come, Fudge?"

The human girl broke out into a huge grin. "Do you even have to ask?!" She pulled out her helmet and magnetic gloves, shoulder and knee pads and suiting up into those before climbing up onto Lightning's spoiler.

"The human is racing with you?" Francesco asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she loves it", Lightning confirmed.

"A _human_?"

"Yeah?" Lightning gave him a questioning look as if to say, _You got a problem with that?_

"Isn't that dangerous?" the Italian formula car wondered. It was obvious to everyone that wasn't where Francesco's concern lay.

"Fudge has been doing this since she was five years old", Lightning explained. "I think she can handle it. Besides, does it really matter? It's not gonna affect you. We're gonna be way ahead of you anyway."

Francesco grinned. "Try to keep up if you-"

Before he could finish, Lightning and Fudge were two red blurs down the street.

"Ka- _ciao_ , Francesco!" the two hollered in unison.

Francesco muttered some more Italian, clearly frustrated before tearing off after Lightning McQueen.

* * *

Way ahead of him, Fudge and Lightning were whooping and hollering as they headed around the track.

"Watch out for the cracks in the asphalt!" Fudge cautioned. "I saw a couple!"

"Got it! Thanks!"

Fudge beamed with pride. She always tried to help Lightning when they went racing together. It was her dream to become an assistant crew chief (also known as a human crew chief or rider crew chief), so she was determined to practise at every opportunity. Even though- nine times out of ten- Lightning knew what she was telling him, he just let her talk to get practise.

"Okay, we're heading towards the dirt!" Fudge called out. "You know what to do!"

Lightning broke out into a huge grin. "I sure do!"

"Turn right to go left!" the two shouted in unison as the stock car drifted across the dirt.

By that point, Francesco had almost caught up to them, but he nearly spun out on the dirt.

"How do you make-a the left turns so well?!" he quizzed Lightning.

"Turn right to go left!" Lightning explained. "A very good friend taught me that once!"

"Good old Doc!" Fudge shook her head with a sad smile. "Now, come on! Hurry up, hurry up! Let's go! Francesco's right behind us!"

Lightning laughed. "All right, Fudge-O!" He gunned forward, determined to get further ahead of Francesco.

"Look out for the trees!" the human girl instructed.

Lightning let out another chuckle. "Got it!"

Francesco rolled his eyes. Of course they were going to watch out for the trees! What kind of racer would he be if he didn't-

A second later, he nearly crashed into a tree, due to being distracted by Fudge. He gave a surprised yelp as he swerved to avoid the tree.

"Are you okay?" Lightning called back.

" _Si_!" Francesco responded. "Francesco just-a nearly crashed into a tree!"

"I _told_ you guys to watch out for the trees!" Fudge giggled.

Francesco groaned.

* * *

After a while, the racers stopped to rest, taking in the beautiful sights. Fudge sprawled across Lightning's roof with a content smile on her face.

"This is nice!" she proclaimed.

"Ah! Italia is-a beautiful, no?" Francesco sighed happily. "Just like-a Francesco."

Lightning smiled. "Do you always think about yourself?"

"Of course!" the Italian racer replied. "On the track, Francesco only thinks about himself and doing his best. This is why he always wins."

"You don't _always_ win", Fudge teased with a giggle from her spot on Lightning's roof.

"What did you say?" Francesco demanded, eyes flashing.

"Nothing!" The eleven-year-old shrunk, sliding down the roof a little. She couldn't figure out why he was getting so angry. It had just been a joke.

"What is this about Francesco doesn't always win?"

"Well, you didn't win the World Grand Prix race in Porto Corsa..." Fudge tried to hide even more.

"He was-a so close, though!"

"It still wasn't a win!"

"Okay! That's enough!" Lightning jumped in as Francesco opened his mouth to make another retort. "What do you say we get back to racing?"

"How about we race just McQueen and Francesco now?" Francesco suggested.

Fudge looked hurt, which her brother noticed.

"Actually-" he began.

"No, it's all right", Fudge cut him off, sliding off Lightning's roof. "I'll go."

"Fudge, you don't have to-"

"No, it's all right", she repeated, although she sounded pretty upset. "I'm sure Luigi, Guido and Mater will want to spend time with me too."

She started to walk off, fighting back tears as she fished out her phone and called Luigi to come and get her.

Lightning and Francesco took off once again. Although the former looked back at the human girl stood waiting by a tree. He felt guilty, but still, he kept going. Maybe it _would_ be good to get some practise without Fudge hanging around. So, off he went.

* * *

Later that night, everyone was getting ready to go to sleep. Francesco had invited all of Team McQueen to stay at his mansion where he lived with his mother. The place was so big that everyone got their own rooms. The only problem was there wasn't exactly appropriate bedding for humans. So, they went out and bought a cheap air mattress and Fudge had brought her own pillow and blankets from home.

So, she lay in the small bed, unable to sleep. She'd been quiet all through dinner, just keeping her head down as she scarfed the food Mama Bernoulli had prepared, not participating in the bilingual conversation going on. Lightning, Luigi and Guido and even Mama Bernoulli had all asked her if she was okay. All four times, she said yes and that was the only word she used during dinner (she also used it when Mama Bernoulli had asked her if she liked the food). She was quick to retire to bed, claiming that she was tired. Nobody had any reason to doubt this, given the long day they'd had and experiencing jet lag. However, Lightning knew the real reason she was going to bed early.

"You okay, sweetie?" he questioned as he came into her room.

"Yeah", she sighed. She knew he wasn't convinced. Lightning only ever called her sweetie when he knew she was upset.

"Look, I know you got a little upset earlier-"

"It's fine!" she cut him off. "Maybe I was a little upset, but... I guess I _was_ kind of in your way."

"No! That's the thing, Fudge. You weren't", Lightning insisted. He sighed. " _Francesco_ was the one who thought you were in the way."

"I don't understand! I thought we were having fun!"

"I don't see why it should bother him. He's not the one racing with you."

"Unless he thinks that's an unfair advantage", Fudge mused. "You _are_ pretty evenly matched."

Lightning thought about that. "That's true."

"Or he just doesn't like humans in racing. Some cars don't."

Lightning sighed. "That's true too. I hope it's not that, though."

"Me too."

"Well, I guess we better get some sleep. It's been a long day and tomorrow's another big day."

"Yeah, we got the race... Did you want me to come?"

"Do you even have to ask? Of _course_ I want you there! You're my cheerleader!"

"But the thing with Francesco-"

"Oh, forget about that! Fudge, whatever Francesco's issue is, he's just gonna have to deal with the fact that you're my sister and I'm not leaving you out of these things." He kissed her. "Now, go to sleep!"

Fudge gave him a small smile and returned the kiss. "All right."

"Love you!" he called after him as he started out the door.

"Love you too!" Fudge called after him.

* * *

Lightning left the room, only to see Francesco outside. He had heard every word of his and Fudge's conversation. Lightning knew that and tried to play it cool.

"Hey, Francesco! Wh- What are you doing?"

"I just-a came to say good night. You are-a going to sleep now?"

"Yeah. I think that would be best."

There was an awkward pause. The fact that Francesco had overheard his rival and his sister talking and the fact that Lightning knew it made both of them uncomfortable.

"Well, good night, McQueen!"

"Yeah, good night, Francesco!"

So, the two of them turned in for the night, as did everyone else.

* * *

Hours later, Fudge was still lying there. She couldn't sleep for a number of reasons. The first was the obvious hurt over Francesco's behaviour. The other reason was she felt weird not sleeping in her own bed. For some reason, she wasn't used to it, despite how much travelling she did as part of Lightning's pit crew. Anyway, she lay awake, staring out the window, listening to Mater and Luigi's loud snoring across the hall and Lightning muttering in his sleep about needing a pit stop next door. It was funny how Lightning didn't always talk in his sleep, but whenever he did, it was about racing! She'd even heard him say, "Good comeback, Cal!" in his sleep once! She giggled. Racing always had been and always would be a huge part of Lightning McQueen's life. The eleven-year-old hoped that would be the case for her too.

After a while of lying in the darkness, Fudge decided to get up and creep down the hall to the bathroom. When she was finished in there and opened the bathroom door to make her way back to her room, she found Francesco parked outside the bathroom.

"Oh!" Fudge exclaimed, surprised. "Hi!"

" _Ciao_ ", Francesco responded, sounding equally surprised. "Francesco was-a not expecting to have to wait for-a the bathroom at quarter to one in the morning."

"(Isn't there, like, six other bathrooms in this house?)" Fudge wondered, switching to Italian.

"(Yes, but this one is Francesco's.)" The racer also started using his native tongue.

"(It is? Oh, I didn't realise. I-)"

"(It is okay)", Francesco assured her.

"(Really?)"

Francesco laughed. "(Of course! Why would it not be okay?)"

"(Well, it's _your_ bathroom. Besides, I just get the feeling that maybe.. you don't... like me.)"

"(You really think Francesco doesn't like you?)"

" _Si_." Fudge wouldn't even look at him.

The Italian formula car sighed. "(Sit down)", he instructed her. "(Francesco has something to tell you.)"

"Okay..." Uncertainly, Fudge sat on the floor.

"(Francesco is very sorry he has upset you today.)"

"(You didn't-)" Fudge began.

"(Yes! Francesco knows you have been upset. You like racing, don't you?)"

Fudge gave a smile and a nod. " _Si_!"

"(Francesco can understand that. He had always dreamed of being a racer.)"

"(I know. I... I want to be a racer too.)" After a pause, she added, "(What was it like for you? I mean, how did you become a racer?)" As an aspiring racer herself, Fudge was always curious about this kind of thing. So, she took the opportunity to ask every racer she could.

"(Ever since Francesco could drive, he wanted to be a racer. When he was very young, he would sneak onto the track here in Monza.)"

"(Really?)" Fudge giggled. Somehow, she could easily picture that.

" _Si_ ", the Italian formula car confirmed. "(Francesco would just want to race. He didn't care what he had to do to race.)"

"(Did you ever get caught?)"

"(Only once. Sometimes security would see Francesco racing, but Francesco was almost always too fast and got away. But yes. There was one time when he was still a teenager where he was caught. He crashed into a wall and the police came.)"

Fudge was interested. "(What happened?)"

"(Francesco was arrested, but the charges were dropped when a race team discovered Francesco. He has been racing with them ever since)"

"(Wow!)" Fudge was impressed.

"(Yes, but that is not how Francesco would recommend becoming a racer.)"

"(No!)" Fudge giggled. "(I guess I'm lucky to have such incredible mentors. Lightning's been teaching me how to race for years and I got some help from the Fabulous Hudson Hornet too.)"

Francesco nodded. He had heard of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet from Lightning. "(It is very good for both of them to teach you everything they know)", he agreed.

"(It is)", Fudge insisted. "(And I'm gonna race with Lightning when I'm old enough. I can't wait!)"

"(Francesco sees that)", he informed her. "(And Francesco will admit you have talent.)"

"(You really think so?)" Fudge asked. "(Lightning always says that, but I'm not so sure.)"

"(Francesco knows so.)"

"(Then why didn't you want me racing with you guys?)"

"(Well, Francesco is not used to racing with humans)", he explained. "(There are none in the competitions he usually races in. And you were right. Francesco did think it was an unfair advantage.)"

"(You heard that, huh?)" an embarrassed Fudge murmured softly, looking at the floor.

" _Si_ ", he responded, "(but Francesco sees now that you love racing and have the talent for it.)"

"(I _do_ love racing!)" she confirmed. "(I love going fast and helping Lightning out on the track! It's just so fun!)"

"(Francesco can relate to that.)"

There was a moment of silence before a smile spread across Fudge's face slowly.

"(What?)" Francesco wondered.

"(Oh, it's just that story you told me about being arrested on the track reminds me of how I met Lightning McQueen.)"

"(How?)" the Italian racer wanted to know.

Fudge and Francesco stayed awake for another hour, talking. Both of them had to try very hard to muffle their laughter, what with how early in the morning it was. By the time they each returned to their rooms, they realised that while they were so different in so many ways, they did have one thing in common: a shared love and _passion_ for racing. Plus, after bidding the eleven-year-old human girl good night, Francesco had an idea. He just needed Lightning to wake up, so he could tell him about it. Although, the Italian racer knew the American would say yes.

* * *

The next day was the day of the race. Finally, the whole world would find out who the fastest car in the world was. The two racers arrived at the track to screaming fans. As usual, they teased each other good-naturedly about who had the most fans.

" **WE LOVE YOU, LIGHTNING!** " the Miata twins, Mia and Tia, squealed.

"( **GO, FRANCESCO!** )" an Italian fan hollered.

The press were hounding the competitors as they often did. Although it wasn't an official race, the press were interested in this one. They were especially curious when they saw Fudge suiting up in her helmet and magnets.

That's right. Francesco's idea was for Fudge to join the race. As he predicted, Lightning was all too happy to let Fudge race with him. In fact, he had a huge grin on his face when his rival suggested it to him. Fudge, however, was excited, but nervous.

"I've never had an audience before!" she had exclaimed in a panic. "They'll be expecting me to be good!"

"You _are_ good, Fudge!" Lightning had assured her. "Some of the best names in the sport have told you you have talent. Me, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, The King" (Fudge had even been taken for a couple of laps by The King himself!) "and Francesco!"

"Yeah..." Fudge still didn't sound convinced.

"Come on! This is your dream!" Lightning had insisted.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to do it today!"

"I think you are!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Fudge nodded. As nervous as she was, she wanted to do it. She was _going_ to do it. "All right. I'll do it!"

* * *

So, she was at the track, preparing to race with Lightning McQueen and Francesco Bernoulli.

"McQueen!" one of the reporters called out. "Who is this?" This reporter was Italian and, therefore, didn't know who Fudge was.

"This is my little sister and aspiring racer, Fudge Rossi-Topolino! She's gonna be helping me out today."

"Is Francesco okay with this?" the reporter questioned.

Lightning nodded. "It was his idea."

The reporters started firing question after question at Fudge too. Questions like, "How old are you?" and "How much experience do you have?" Fudge answered her questions as best as she could. However, they did make her even more nervous.

"Are you _sure_ I can do this?" Fudge quizzed Lightning one last time as she climbed up onto his spoiler and attached her magnets.

"Sure I'm sure!" Lightning insisted. "Now, are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"(Start your engines!)" the official shouted and the two racers didn't need to be told twice. "(On your marks, get set... **GO!** )"

* * *

They were off! Lightning was in the lead from the start.

"Okay. Just stay on the inside for now", a nervous Fudge instructed in a shaky voice. "I don't think there's really anything you need to watch out for. Oh! Hold on! There's a bump coming up!"

Lightning adjusted himself for the bump. "Got it! Thanks!"

Fudge beamed with pride.

"See, Fudge-O? You're doing a good job."

"Well, we can't see the cameras, so they can't make me nervous!" Fudge giggled.

"Exactly!"

"Look out!" Fudge called out. "Francesco is right behind you!"

At that moment, the Italian formula car shot past them.

" **NO!** " Fudge wailed before getting back to her job. "All right. Try to catch up, but don't force it. It's still early days."

"Got it!" Lightning confirmed, increasing his speed.

Before long, they were up to the dirt track. Francesco was still in front at that point.

"That's okay!" Fudge assured Lightning with a grin. "This is our advantage!"

However, the two were in for a shock when Francesco performed the "turn right to go left" trick. It was obvious that he needed a lot of improvement, but he managed to make it work.

He smirked as he called back, "Perhaps McQueen has-a taught Francesco too well!"

Lightning couldn't help smiling while Fudge groaned.

"We gotta catch up!"

* * *

"Okay. I don't think you've pitted in a while", Fudge announced some time. "Do you think it's time to come in?"

"Do _you_ think it's time for me to come in?" Lightning quizzed her. He knew the answer to that. He just wanted to know what Fudge thought. After all, this was a good learning experience for her.

"Yes?" she guessed.

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Telling you?" At her brother's laugh, she corrected herself. "Telling you."

"Well, you're right. I probably should pit now. Good job, Fudge-O!"

The eleven-year-old couldn't help smiling as she and Lightning rode into the pits. Guido was able to perform one of his signature fast pit stops. Fudge leapt off Lightning to fill him with fuel and they were back out in no time and in the lead too. As they came out of the pits, the fans screamed even louder than before and the cameras flashed right in Lightning's face. It was hard for Lightning to focus.

Only for a second, though. That was when he remembered what Francesco had told him about focusing solely on himself and doing his best. He stared directly in front of him and claimed the lead! Fudge remembered Francesco's advice on focusing on himself too and remained quiet for a moment, allowing Lightning to get back into it before she gave him any more advice. It seemed to work and the gap between them and Francesco seemed to get larger and larger.

"You're going well", Fudge assured her brother. "You keep this up and we've got this race in the bag."

"Thanks, Fudge-O! You know, you're going well too!"

"Thanks!"

* * *

Pretty soon, it was the final stretch. Lightning was in first place and Francesco wasn't far behind.

"You got this!" Fudge encouraged her brother excitedly.

However, this time, the gap between them and Francesco was getting smaller and smaller.

"Francesco's catching up!"

"What should we do, Fudge-O?"

"I guess the only thing we can do now is dig deep and hope for the best!"

"Roger that!"

"He's right on our tail!" Fudge hollered abruptly.

Lightning gave one last burst of energy, but so did Francesco. As the two racers crossed the finish line, the crowd was stunned. It was hard to tell who had won!

" **KA-CHOW!** " Lightning yelled ecstatically. "I won!"

"You mean _we_ won!" Fudge corrected excitedly.

"Francesco won!" their Italian friend disagreed.

They all turned to the officials, wanting to know who the winner was.

As it turns out, it was a _tie_!

"A _tie_?!" Lightning exclaimed.

"Really?!" Fudge was equally surprised.

"So, McQueen and Francesco are still evenly matched after all!" Francesco commented.

"I guess so!" Lightning chuckled.

"That was fun!" Fudge proclaimed, sliding off Lightning's spoiler and jumping up and down.

" _Si_!" Francesco agreed. "It was-a so fun to race with you both!"

Fudge beamed. "It was fun to race with you too, Francesco!"

The private moment between the trio ended when the press came racing up to them, firing questions at them all in both English and Italian.

"McQueen! Francesco! Do you have any comments on today's race?!"

"McQueen! Do you believe your rider had an impact on your performance in any way?!"

"Fudge! What do you make of racing with Lightning McQueen and Francesco Bernoulli?!"

So, the racers, including Fudge, grinned and answered questions for the press and their adoring fans.

* * *

Hours later, Lightning, Francesco and Fudge attended a party with their friends and crews. Mater and Luigi were chattering away to Francesco's crew chief. Guido was showing off his tyre juggling skills to Francesco's pitties. Meanwhile, the three racers tried to figure out what to do.

"Thanks for letting me race with you guys!" Fudge cried, still jumping up and down. She was hyper after the race. "That was so much fun! I feel like a real racer!"

"You _are_ a racer, Fudge!" Lightning assured her, giving her a hug, which she returned. "You were great today!"

" _Si_! You are very talented!" Francesco confirmed.

"Thanks!" Fudge grinned.

"No more talk!" Francesco decided finally. "Talk is slow! What do we do?! We race!"

"That's a great idea!" Lightning agreed. "We'll race in Radiator Springs!"

"And hey!" Fudge piped up. "Since Lightning has the home track advantage in Radiator Springs, maybe I should help _you_ , Francesco!"

"Francesco would like that!" the Italian formula car declared sincerely.

Fudge grinned. "Me too!"

Lightning and Francesco began discussing the details while Fudge made a mental note to herself. Before she went home with the others, she wanted to stop by a racing merchandise store. She envisioned her bedroom wall at home, lined with posters of racing legends- the obvious Fabulous Hudson Hornet and Lightning McQueen; Strip "The King" Weathers; Junior "Midnight" Moon; River Scott; Louise "Barnstormer" Nash; a couple of the Ferraris her fathers liked, along with some other racers- the heroes of her world. Now, looking at the red, white and green formula car in front of her, Fudge knew that she'd found the perfect next addition to the wall.

 **So, they're going to race in Radiator Springs! If anybody wants me to write about that, I can. Or at least, I can _try_! XD**

 **I feel like this story lacked some detail and it moved a little too fast, but I don't mind the pacing _too_ much as this is supposed to be a short story. Plus, I didn't have many ideas to begin with, so I feel lucky I was able to even get that. **

**Now that I've finished this one and _Happy Birthday, Fudge!_ (I'll be posting that one June sixteenth), I want to have another go at continuing _COTSLOF_ , but I'm not sure how that's gonna go. So, if you don't see this story updated for a while after _Happy Birthday, Fudge_ _!_ , then that's why.**

 **One last thing: Does anybody use Wattpad? I've started posting my stories there too, starting with a slightly different version of _Life Could Be a Dream_. I'm on there as CarsFanFudge95. I would appreciate it if you left a comment there too.**

 **Please review.**


	13. Lightning and the Thunder

**Before we begin, I'd just like to quickly respond to my most recent guest review: I think that story is a great idea, but I'll probably save it for closer to Christmastime.**

 **I don't know why I'm posting this story when I personally think it's a pile of garbage. I guess it's because I've had the idea for a while, I wrote it and thought you guys might want to see it. And yes, the title is inspired by the song "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons.**

 **I thought I'd try to write how the events of _Ride_ changed Lightning, but the whole thing seems unoriginal (it's mostly stuff that I've covered in _Ride_ ) and** **kind of pointless, but this is all I've got. Still, I'll let you form your own opinion.**

 **Most of the story is written in past tense flashbacks and the stuff in the present day is in present tense. And the only dialogue in this story is in the flashbacks.**

 **Well, I guess that's all you need to know. Here is the monstrosity that is...**

 **Lightning and the Thunder**

It is the kind of weather that Lightning McQueen hates. One second, he'd been sleeping peacefully beside Sally and the next, he was jolted awake by that deafening roar of thunder. Rain is belting down and rattling against the window in thick sheets. Lightning continues to turn the sky silver. Wind howls, swaying the nearby trees from side to side with one of them occasionally tapping on his window. Another crack of thunder makes him gasp and jump.

Lightning never used to be afraid of storms. In fact, when he was a little kid, he was fascinated by them. Every time he saw a flash of lightning, he would grin, thinking that one day, he would be as fast as lightning. And this was when he was still Monty! He had no idea that people would start _calling_ him Lightning. Then, when he got a little bit older, he still enjoyed to watch storms. Nature could be very powerful and it amazed him.

So, what happened to make him so afraid of storms? It was a fateful night two years ago when he made the biggest, dumbest mistake of his life...

* * *

" _I don't wanna go home just yet! Please, just a couple more laps!_ " Fudge had begged from her spot up on his roof. Light rain had begun to fall and there was just a little bit of thunder and lightning around them. Lightning knew that it was time to get going, but that didn't mean that Fudge was so willing.

He remembers thinking about it. Now, he knows that there was nothing to think about! Of course leaving then and there was the smart, safe, sensible thing to do. However, there were times when Fudge was around where he didn't use his best judgement. Normally, he tried so hard to be the fun babysitter with Fudge rather than the responsible babysitter. Still, he would normally be responsible when it came to the girl's safety. Yet, this time... not so much.

" _All right. Just a couple more laps_ ", he agreed reluctantly, much to Fudge's delight.

What was he _thinking_?! If he had never agreed to it- if he'd just told Fudge no and that they were going home like he should have- then Fudge would never have spent an entire year suffering. Her life never would've been ruined. He never would've ended up being afraid of storms.

Every time he hears hard rain fall, he remembers that brief second where he skidded out of control on the slick track. Every time he hears thunder, it's accompanied by that loud scream Fudge had let out when she fell from his roof. She knew what was happening before he did. Even though it had been too fast for him to watch it properly, now, he can never get the images out of his head. Him clipping Fudge. Fudge flying through the air. Fudge hitting the tarmac so hard she even bounced a little! There are no actual images in his mind, but he can vividly remember the feeling of going over a large bump, knowing it was Fudge.

" ** _FUDGE_!**" he hears himself scream over and over again as he raced as fast as he could back to where his sister lay. He was panicking now. He was fully aware of what he'd just done- and the enormity of it. His mind worked at a speed he could only dream of driving at.

 _Fudge, are you okay?!_

 _What have I done?!_

 _What am I supposed to do now?!_

 _Oh, I am such an idiot! Why did I let this happen?!_

 _What if she doesn't make it? She has to! She's your baby sister! She's gotta be okay! But what if she's not?_

These were the kinds of thoughts that were going around and around in his head. Yet, all that came out of his mouth was Fudge's name followed by a long string of curse words.

Even more curse words escaped his lips when he saw Fudge crumpled and all banged up. It seemed like an awful coincidence, but there was a flash of lightning just as he caught a glimpse of the poor girl's face. Lightning strikes again now, bringing those images into his mind clearly. Not that he needs to try very hard to remember it. Her face had been covered in blood with several teeth missing and a couple of bruises. Her shoe had come off, striking her in the face. The rest of her body didn't look much better with all of the bones sticking out. The memory of seeing it all sends a shiver through Lightning's frame.

" _Fudge! Fudge, can you hear me?! Fudge! Fudge! Open your eyes!_ Please _! Fudge!_ _Goddammit, Fudge! Can you hear me?! Squeeze my tyre if you can hear me, Fudge! Fudge!_ "

There had been no answer. He remembers the feeling of Fudge's cold, limp hand in his tyre. That was when he decided she was dead. That was it. He'd killed Fudge! He couldn't believe it! Lightning McQueen had made many dumb and downright dangerous decisions in his life. Yet this was the worst one. He'd actually killed someone that night.

Tap. Tap. Tap. The tree outside taps at the window as it sways in the wind. To Lightning, the rhythm of it sounds a lot like, _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..._ and so on. Hearing it makes him bounce on his tyres a little as if he was doing compressions on Fudge's chest.

 _One, two, three, four, five, six..._

He remembers at the time as it went around in his head, it had sounded an awful lot like, _She's_ , _dead, she's, dead, she's, dead!_ Every time he pressed his lips up against hers, they'd felt just as cold as her hand. She just looked and felt completely lifeless.

" _ **NOTHING'S HAPPENING**_ **!** " he'd screeched into the phone, unable to even recognise that hysterical voice as his own. Even now, he can hardly believe that was his voice he was hearing.

There was only one good moment during the whole ordeal and that was Fudge's eyes opening right when he touched her lips. She was crying, but her eyes were open and that was all that mattered to him.

" _Crying is a good sign_ ", he remembers the paramedics telling him.

He wanted to believe them. Crying may have been a good sign, but what about the puddle of blood around Fudge that was slowly turning into a pond? What about bones sticking out all over the place or the blood and vomit in her throat? What about pain-filled moans that were starting to sound like animal howls? Now that he thinks of it, that was exactly what the howling wind outside was beginning to sound like to him. Occasionally, when the wind whistles, the high pitch reminds Lightning of the high-pitched siren that screamed all the way to hospital. The ride to the hospital was the only part of that night that wasn't vivid in Lightning's mind.

* * *

Sometimes, the lightning lasts a little longer. The room becomes very bright for a couple of seconds, reminding Lightning of the bright lights of the hospital. Fudge continued to howl as she was wheeled down the bright hallway. Several doctors and nurses came rushing towards her

" _All right. Who do we have here?!_ " one of the doctors questioned.

" _A twelve-year-old female!_ " one of the paramedics reported. " _S_ _he's been in a car accident! There's several broken bones, severe head injuries and significant blood loss!_ "

Oh, God! Lightning hoped he wasn't asked any questions about what had happened. Not because he'd wanted to escape punishment. No punishment would be worse than Fudge not surviving. He just didn't want to relive the memories of the awful night.

" _I'm afraid you're going to have to wait outside, sir_ ", a nurse informed Lightning, pushing him out of the way and closing the door.

Now, the clap of thunder he could hear sounded an awful lot like that door closing. It hadn't been that loud in real life, but it sounds very loud in his head, being so final.

The last glimpse he caught of Fudge was her lying there, still letting out those terrible animal howls as the doctors use scissors to remove her T-shirt. He hoped that wouldn't be the last glimpse he would ever have of Fudge. If she didn't survive, then the others were lucky. The last time they ever saw her, she was just herself. She wasn't in pain. She wasn't covered in blood with bones sticking out, making those howls. He tried to remember her like that, but he couldn't get the images out of his head. Besides, it hurt way too much to think about her.

Lightning couldn't see very much in the waiting room. The whole place was blurred behind his tears. It was hard to hear when he was sobbing, but he could hear people talking and feel them staring at him.

" _Is that Lightning McQueen?!_ "

" _What's he doing here?_ "

" _Oh, my God! He's_ crying _!_ "

" _Jayden! Where are you going?!_ "

" _I need to ask Lightning McQueen for his autograph!_ "

" _Don't you dare!_ "

It was times like this when Lightning McQueen wished he wasn't famous. He didn't need or want everyone staring at him. He needed and wanted Fudge to be okay. He needed and wanted Sally to comfort him. Without thinking, he reached for his phone...

" _I've done a horrible thing, I've done a horrible thing!_ " he blurted out. _"This is all my fault!"_

" _Stickers, no! This is not your fault! These things happen!_ " While he didn't agree with Sally's words, hearing her voice made him feel a little better, especially when she said the others would be there as soon as they could.

" _I'll tell the others what's happened and we'll be there as soon as we can, okay?_ "

Thank Chrysler! Lightning was so relieved that he didn't have to tell Guido and Luigi. He just couldn't do it! How was he supposed to tell them that he had either killed or almost killed their precious baby girl? How was he supposed to face them after this?

 _Don't worry about that just yet!_ he told himself. _You've got enough to worry about right now._

When he hung up the phone, he stared at the clock for what felt like a lifetime. It was hard to see with all of the tears blurring his eyes. Now, as he looks out at the rain outside his home in Radiator Springs, he can tell that the rain outside was as fast as his tears were. Whenever he _could_ see the clock, all he could think was things like, _Fudge has been in there for ten minutes. Fudge has been in there for twenty minutes._ Even though he doubted it would happen, all he wanted was for Fudge to just walk out of surgery, completely fine and the ball of energy she normally was. Then he would race towards her and give her the biggest hug he could muster and tell her he was sorry.

Finally, when he decided that he couldn't take it anymore, he practically flew up to the reception desk.

" _Brittney Rossi-Topolino!_ " he exclaimed breathlessly. " _I gotta see her! She came in about half an hour ago, she was in a car accident... I gotta see her!_ Please!"

" _She's still in surgery_ ", the receptionist informed him. " _You can't see her at the moment._ "

" _Well, how is she?!_ " the race car demanded. _"Please tell me what's going on!"_

 _"Sorry. We can only talk to family._ "

 _"She's my sister!_ " he protested. _"Please! You gotta tell me how she is! She's my_ sister _! You gotta..._ " He trailed off, sobbing harder. All he could do was slip away from the reception desk, shaking with loud sobs.

Another clap of thunder sounds, making Lightning jump. It reminds him of when he heard the loud bang of the hospital doors opening violently.

" _Luigi, Guido, slow down!_ " Sheriff's voice called out.

The two Italians didn't hear. They just raced up to reception and demanded to know where their daughter was. Lightning listened carefully as they were told that Fudge was still in surgery. Even now, remembering this moment, he feels sick. He'd felt sick then, too. And terrified. Just as he had done all night. The only comfort was having Sally and Mater hug him and whisper things like, " _I know, Stickers_ ", and, " _Shoot, buddy! This ain't yer fault!_ " Still, he was afraid, angry, ashamed and sick. He had been so sure that Luigi and Guido were gonna kill him. As it was, Luigi almost did.

" ** _WHAT HAVE YOU_ DONE _?!_** " he yelled. " _How_ could _you?! You hurt my daughter! You put her in the hospital! None of this would have happened if you were looking after her like you said you would! You are a_ liar _!_ "

Lightning was horrified as Luigi lunged for him, swearing. He had never seen the Fiat so angry before. Then again, he deserved it.

For most of the wait, the only words out of Lightning's mouth were, " _I'm sorry!_ ", " _This is all my fault!_ ", " _I can't believe I've done this!_ " and, " _I never meant for this to happen!_ " Once again, he could barely see a thing with tears blurring his eyes.

He felt a little better when Sally kissed him. " _It's gonna be okay, Stickers_ ", she tried to assure him once more. Although, she sounded like she needed convincing herself. " _I'm sure Fudge will be fine._ "

* * *

The memory fades away after that point, much to Lightning's relief. He doesn't want to remember. That was the worst night of his life. Though the replay of the night had stopped, that isn't enough to stop him from thinking about how he was never the same after that night. Getting back to racing had been hard. Every time he went around a corner, he felt himself slow down.

"Fudge!" he couldn't help screaming out loud a couple of times.

It would take all of his willpower to prevent himself from turning around and going back to help Fudge. He had to take deep breaths and remind himself that Fudge wasn't lying crumpled on the track. It helped if he could hear Fudge's voice. That's why he gave her a headset during the race.

" _I'm here, Lightning_ ", she'd remind him constantly throughout his races. " _I'm right here._ "

After taking several deep breaths, he would smile and pick up speed once more, only for it to happen again at the next turn.

The other main thing he struggled with was storms, but you already know about that.

* * *

Lightning lies awake, watching the storm for what feels like a lifetime. The thunder and the lightning and the rain and the wind continues to remind him of every last little detail of that god-awful night. He doesn't know how long he puts up with this torture before he decides to do the one thing that will calm him down. He rolls outside, being careful not to wake Sally. Not that it would've mattered. Sally knows by now where he is going and what he's doing.

When he arrives at Casa Della Tires, Luigi and Guido aren't surprised to see him there. They know what he's doing there. So, they let him in.

Without thinking about it, Lightning makes a beeline for Fudge's room. He needs to see that Fudge is okay. Luckily, she is. She's just lying there, fast asleep in her bed.

He smiles, running a tyre though her hair softly and kissing her forehead. She's okay. She's just sleeping. She's not lying there, looking lifeless. She's not hooked up to a million machines. That was two years ago. She's fourteen now. She's had two birthdays since the accident. And many more to come, Lightning hopes.

Lightning- and everyone else- has to admire her strength. The doctors hadn't been sure if she would pull through at all. Now, she's walking and talking. She still has her bubbly personality. Of course, a couple of things have changed about her. She moves at a bit of slower pace; she has these painful-looking scars that continue to make him wince and she sleeps a lot.

The other thing that had changed was that Lightning refuses to take Fudge racing again. Despite what the accident had done to her, she still wanted to go racing. In fact, she had been talking to him about it just that afternoon.

" _Come on!_ " she whined, bouncing up and down. " _I'm getting better! I think I'm ready!_ "

Lightning sighed. " _Fudge, we've been through this!_ " he reminded her. " _This isn't about your recovery! I don't want you racing anymore! I care too much about you to watch you get hurt like that again._ "

Fudge lowered her head. She was disappointed, but she understood. She knew that Lightning was never going to change his mind, so she might as well forget about it. " _Yeah, okay._ "

" _You know I love you, right? That's why I'm doing this._ "

" _Yeah, I know._ "

 _One day,_ Lightning thinks to himself as he strokes the girl's hair again. _One day, you'll understand. You have no idea what I went through that night. And every day since_ _then_ , he adds in his mind as he jumps at another boom of thunder. _You don't remember the accident. But one day, you'll see that this is for your own good._

He sleeps very well for the rest of the night, knowing Fudge is with him and that she's okay. When Fudge wakes up before him, she is not surprised to see Lightning there either. He'd been staying with her a lot ever since the accident. He'd done more to take care of her after the accident than anybody else in town, even her own fathers. She knows that a lot of that is out of guilt. She wishes he would stop feeling so guilty. The accident wasn't his fault.

Those thoughts are still going around in Fudge's head when Lightning wakes up. He smiles, surprised to see that for once, Fudge is awake before him, making him wonder just how long he has been asleep. Not long, it seems. The sun is rising out the window. The storm is over. A new day is starting.

Lightning turns to Fudge, about to suggest that they go over to Flo's. However, before he can get any words out, she's already fast asleep again. Lightning chuckles, kissing his sister's forehead before driving out of the room. He hasn't been the same since Fudge's accident, but with the storm over, he can finally relax. At least, until he leaves for the race today.

 **Like I said, I _really_ didn't have many ideas for this one, especially on how to end it. Please review. I know it sucks, but I've never written anything like this before, so please be gentle. I promise the next one will be better.**


	14. A Race of a Different Kind

**Well, it seems pretty quiet on the _Cars_ FFN page at the moment. I've come to attempt to rectify that, even though this story is not one of my favourites. It just feels like it's missing something, although I'm not sure what it is.**

 **I was actually inspired by Australian comedians Hamish and Andy for this story. I saw a video of them holding a race with the same twist (which I'm saving for the end) as the racers in the story do and I thought I might try to write it. Only, it didn't turn out as well as I hoped.**

 **A Race of a Different Kind**

"Howdy, everybody and welcome to Radiator Springs!" the announcer began excitedly. "I'm Tow Mater, here with my friend, Fudge Rossi-Topolino! And boy, do we have a very special race fer y'all here today!"

"That's right, Mater!" seventeen-year-old Fudge Rossi-Topolino confirmed, equally excited. She wasn't just excited for the race. With her passion for racing, love of writing and talent and confidence with public speaking, she was thrilled to be chosen to be an announcer for the race. She was dressed in a racing T-shirt, denim shorts and sneakers. "We've got an amazing lineup of racers here in beautiful Radiator Springs _and_ we've got a never-before-seen twist in this race! I think this is going to be very interesting."

"Dad-gum right, Fudge!" Mater agreed. "Now, whaddaya say we meet these racers?"

"Sounds like a plan to me! Who's our first racer, Mater?"

"Well, our first racer is a hometown favourite here in Radiator Springs- and my best friend", Mater introduced him. "Quicker than quick, faster than fast, he is speed! Ladies and gentlecars, give it up fer Lightnin' McQueen!"

The crowd gathered by Willy's Butte- which consisted of the RS gang and several others- went wild as Lightning came blazing up to them.

"KA-CHOW!" he hollered.

"Welcome, Lightning!" Fudge greeted him. "Now, what are your thoughts on the race here today? We know you have the home track advantage here at Willy's Butte in Radiator Springs, but we have some great champions and this isn't your usual race. Anything you have to say about that?"

"Well, I'll admit, it's gonna be tough", Lightning responded, "but I've been training for months. I'm ready to give it all I've got."

"That's what we like to see!" Fudge grinned. "Well, best of luck to you, Lightning and we'll talk to you later."

"All right", he agreed.

" **GO, MCQUEEN!** " Mater yelled as the aforementioned racer drove off to the starting line.

"Our next competitor is another hometown favourite in Radiator Springs and _my_ best friend", Fudge continued. "She _cruised_ onto the racing scene from nowhere to win the Florida 500! Please welcome reigning Piston Cup champion, Cruz Ramirez!"

Cruz came out from the same direction as Lightning and when asked for her thoughts on the race, her response was very similar to Lightning's. As were the responses that came from The King, Cal Weathers, Louise Nash, Junior Moon and River Scott. Not everyone was so modest, though.

"Jackson Storm!" Mater finished introducing the Next Gen racer as he appeared in front of the two announcers. "Howdy, Storm! You ready fer the race? How have ya been trainin'?"

" _Training_?!" Storm repeated incredulously. He scoffed at the thought. "I can beat these old geezers, no problem. Everyone knows I'm the fastest racer here!"

"Well, Storm, speed isn't necessarily important in this race", Fudge reminded him. "You remember the twist we have to this race, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember", Storm replied indifferently.

"Chick Hicks!" Fudge concluded her introduction of the mean green racing machine, putting in as much enthusiasm as she could. She'd never liked Chick Hicks, he'd made her cry several times when she was a little kid. She was glad she didn't have to introduce both him and Storm. She wouldn't have been able to do it!

"Ka-chicka!" he yelled. "Ka-chicka!"

Fudge stepped back. "Mater, do you wanna take this one?"

"I always knew you were too intimidated by _real_ Piston Cup champions, Rossi!" Chick taunted the human girl. "Or should I say Wussy?! Get it? 'Cause you're a wuss!"

"You really shouldn't say that", Fudge deadpanned. "It doesn't even rhyme."

Chick rolled his eyes. "Whatever!"

"Well, anyway, good luck to you, Chick."

"I don't need luck!" Chick scoffed. "I'm the champion of champions!"

"Okay then..." Fudge waved Chick along to the starting line. He went, revving his engine at Fudge a little. She tried not to let her fear show, but she backed up a little. She was relieved when Mater changed the subject by announcing the next racer, which had been The King.

"And now", Fudge announced a little while later, "our last competitor is the odd one out here. While all of our other racers came from different backgrounds and times, they all have one thing in common: they all raced in the Piston Cup. That's not the case for this last racer, who is joining us all the way from the European Circuit!"

"Oooohhh!" went the crowd.

"So, please give a big American welcome to... Francesco Bernoulli!"

Francesco came blazing out just as the other racers had. The crowd cheered and Fudge could hear Sally make comments about open wheels. All she could do was pray that Lightning hadn't heard.

"Welcome back to Radiator Springs, Francesco!" Fudge began. "It's been a while since we've had you here."

"Yes, yes! Francesco knows he has-a been missed so much!"

"And clearly hasn't changed a bit!" Fudge laughed. "Good luck, Francesco!"

* * *

"All right, racers!" Mater called out once they were all lined up on the track. "Y'all remember the rules! Twenny-five laps around Willy's Butte! And..." He reminded the racers of the unusual twist to this race.

"Got it!" all of the racers confirmed.

Fudge turned to her father. "Luigi?"

Luigi appeared in front of the racers with the green flag. "On your mark, get set... **GO!** "

They were off. Most of them went tearing right down the straightaway. Storm, however, was clearly out of his element. He bounced across the uneven terrain and coughed as the dust from the racers ahead flew in front of him. He kept groaning and grumbling about that, but the other racers seemed to be doing okay.

"Well, we're off to a flying start here", Fudge observed. "However, we're coming up to the first turn, which is going to stump some of these racers!"

The likes of Lightning, The King, Cal, Cruz and the Legends were able to drift across the dirt with no trouble at all. Francesco was familiar with the "turn right to go left" technique, but was a little out of practise, so he ended up losing control a little. Chick and Storm had no experience, though and skidded completely out of control.

"Who races on _dirt_?!" both of them groaned.

"Chick Hicks and Jackson Storm are off the track!" Mater exclaimed.

At that moment, both of them crashed into some cacti!

"Oooohhh!" Fudge winced. "That's gotta hurt!"

Neither one of them looked very happy. Still, they were so angry that the other racers were so far ahead that they steadied themselves and kept going.

"Well, you gotta hand it to Chick and Storm", Fudge commented. "They're not giving up here, even if they can't turn on dirt." She took a breath and a moment to analyse what was going on around her. "Most of the racers are finishing up lap one while Chick and Storm are being left behind quite quickly."

It was clear, though, that Chick wasn't happy about this at all. When Lightning shot past Chick on his second lap (while the green race car was still stuck on his first), he rammed into him.

"Chick rams into McQueen!" Fudge gasped. "That is a violation!"

Before anything could be done about it, Lightning was sent spinning. He managed to steady himself, but not without clipping both Cruz and Storm on his way past.

"Hey!" Cruz couldn't help crying out.

" **NO!** " Storm groaned, having lost control. He was sent right back where he started.

"Hold on!" Mater shouted as Luigi waved a flag that matched his paint job. "The yellow flag is out!"

The three racers who had been involved in the incident returned to the makeshift pits to be checked out. Luckily, they were all deemed fit to continue the race.

"Chick Hicks, this is your first warning!" Sheriff informed him seriously.

However, Chick didn't appear remorseful for his actions.

"Okay. Now, we're back to racing!" Fudge announced as all of the racers were off and running.

Several laps went by and things went just like the first couple of laps all the way through. The only difference was that Chick seemed to be following the rules from that point on. Still, the announcers, the officials, the fans and the other racers kept a close eye on him, so sure that he could pull something. Lightning was in first place, leaving the other racers scrambling for other positions. Cruz, The King and the Legends were right behind him. Cal was right behind them. Francesco was a little way behind him. Chick Hicks and Jackson Storm were a _long_ way behind!

"Look at McQueen go!" Mater exclaimed.

"Well, remember speed isn't the main factor here", Fudge pointed out. "Now, Storm and Chick continue to struggle in the dirt. They're gonna have to work hard to have any shot at winning this thing."

* * *

Somehow, they did. It was clear that the two of them had struggled to begin with uneven surface, but by the time they got to the twenty-fifth and final lap, they were a lot closer to the leaders.

"Wow! This sure is a close race here as we head into the final lap!" Fudge observed. "Everyone's still fighting it out for the lead and it could be anyone's race right now."

"Well, this is more excitin' than a ten-car pile up on a one-way road!" Mater declared.

Lightning was still in the lead at this point. Cruz was in second. The King was right behind her. Junior, River and Louise were jockeying for fourth. Cal and Francesco were doing the same for seventh. Chick was still a long way behind. So was Storm, but he was starting to climb through the pack. He past Chick. Past Francesco. Past Cal.

"Wait a second, Mater!" Fudge exclaimed. "Jackson Storm is on the move!"

"Dad-gum!" Mater gasped. "I ain't never seen anythin' move that fast!"

However, it seemed like it was going to be for nothing. Storm tried and failed to make the left turn. He spun once again, grumbling all the way.

"Storm's loose!" Fudge cried, wondering if he would start having a temper tantrum as he'd done several times in the Piston Cup races.

Fudge had to hand it to Storm. While he hadn't learned the "turn right to go left" manoeuvre, he had witnessed the other racers doing it during this race. Tentatively, he tried it out. It was clear that he had a long way to go before he mastered it, but everyone was pretty impressed by how well he'd done it so suddenly.

"Storm's back on track!" Fudge exclaimed. "That could've been catastrophic, but he saved it!"

"Dad-gum!" Mater cried.

"Now, we're heading towards the final turn! This could still go any way now!"

One last turn and the racers' positions remained the same from when the lap started. The only one who had moved was Storm.

"Here they come, down the home stretch!" Fudge observed. "It's going to be close! Who's going to win?!"

"Here comes McQueen!" Mater shouted.

He was right. Lightning was in the lead and flying down the home stretch. The finish line was right in front of him, but when he got there, he just stopped. Cruz, The King and the Legends were quick to follow him. Jackson Storm was fast approaching. He didn't seem at all fazed by the twist to this race or the line of race cars, who had just stopped at the finish line and shot past him. The checkered flag did not wave. Cal and Francesco were next to get up to the finish line, but they did not cross it either.

"Come on, guys!" Cruz pushed one of the others to cross the finish line. "Age before beauty!"

"No!" Lightning disagreed. "Ladies first!"

"Maybe we should cross the line alphabetically!" Junior suggested.

While they were all arguing, Chick came racing up. He didn't care about the twist to this race either because he raced across the finish line. Not only that, but he bumped both Lightning and Francesco, so they jerked forward across the finish line too. Taking advantage of that, everyone lunged forward, eager to be the next one to cross the line. Cal was the one to do it, though. Luigi waved the checkered flag.

"It's Cal Weathers for the win!" Fudge declared.

"What are you talking about?!" Storm yelled. " _I_ won!"

"Shoot, don'tcha remember the twist ta this race, Storm?" Mater asked.

"I remember!" Storm insisted, sounding annoyed. "I just think it's stupid! The winner of the race is who comes _first_ , not fifth!"

"Yeah!" Chick agreed.

"If this race is so stupid, why did you even come, Storm?" Cruz wondered.

"Because I wanted to beat you all and prove that I'm the best racer here!" After a pause, he added, "Which I did!"

Everyone rolled their eyes. This race may had been a little different, but some things just never changed.

"Cal! What do you make of your victory today?!" Fudge called out, running up to the champion.

"Wow! It was great! I can't believe I actually won this race!"

"Yeah, this is the only type of race you'll ever win, Cal!" Chick taunted.

He seemed to think that would hurt the number 42 car. However, it didn't. Cal just started to laugh. So did everyone else.

 **I tried with this one, but I struggle to write race scenes, so this was the best I could come up with.**


	15. Mater and Fudge in Paris: Part 1

**Hey, guys! I've finished this entire story and the next one I was planning to post, so I thought I might as well post it. Like _Fudge vs Chick_ , this one is going to be three parts. It's based on the short story, _Mater in Paris_. I did make some changes, so those of you who have read it aren't bored and I wanted to do things my way, like including the main villains, who didn't appear in the original version. I've also included a subplot about Sammy, which I am very excited about and I hope you are too! Please enjoy! :)**

 **Mater and Fudge in Paris**

 **Part 1**

Fudge thought it was going to be a typical day. She got up, got dressed, had breakfast at Flo's and helped Flo with the dishes as she usually did. However, it was when she and Mater were over at Lizzie's, listening to the radio that things became abnormal.

One second, the radio was working fine. The next, it just stopped and there was nothing but static.

"Don't tell me it's broken!" Fudge groaned, slapping the radio a couple of times.

" _Mater? Fudge? Are you there?_ " a familiar voice came through the radio.

Fudge paused. "Holley?"

"Holley!" Mater exclaimed, happy to hear his girlfriend's voice. "I missed you so much! How is you doin'?!" He grinned at the human girl beside him. "I can't believe Holley is callin'!"

" _And Sammy!_ " another familiar voice chimed in.

"Sammy!" Fudge cried happily. "Hey, guys!" The human girl and tow truck had met super spies Holley Shiftwell and Sammy Rose during the World Grand Prix almost a year ago. Was that right? It must've been. Fudge had just turned eleven at the time and now, her twelfth birthday was only a week away.

" _Good to hear your voice again, Fudge_ ", Sammy commented. _"We've been busy as ever, travelling the world and_ saving _the_ _world_." Fudge thought she heard the faintest falter in Sammy's voice, but thought nothing of it at the time. " _How are you?"_

"It's good to hear your voice too", the girl responded. "And I'm a little surprised you hacked into our radio, but I'm good... How did you even know we would be here?"

" _Not important_ ", Sammy replied. " _We didn't just radio to socialise. We need your help. Most of the Lemons we arrested after the World Grand Prix have escaped_."

"What?!" Mater gasped.

"How did that happen?" Fudge wondered.

"We don't know", Holley admitted.

"But I thought they were in a maximum security prison!" Fudge reminded them.

" _They were_ ", Sammy confirmed. " _Somehow, they still managed to escape, those sneaky sons of-_ " She stopped short. " _Never mind. We need you to come to Paris and help us. Can you do that?_ "

"Why do ya need _our_ help?" Mater wanted to know.

"Y _ou two were a big help in the World Grand Prix case_ ", Holley answered. " _We wouldn't have been able to solve it at all if it wasn't for you and Fudge, Mater. So, can you come to Paris?_ "

"Actually-" Fudge began uncertainly.

"Paris?" Mater broke in. "Well, dad-gum! We'll be there!"

"Mater!" Fudge hissed.

" _Perfect!_ " Holley exclaimed. " _Now, listen. Siddeley is on his way to Radiator Springs to pick you up and take you both to Paris._ "

"All right", Mater agreed. "We'll see ya soon, I guess."

" _See you soon!_ " Holley and Sammy agreed.

They signed off.

"Mater!" Fudge repeated as the music resumed as if nothing had happened at all.

"What?" the tow truck asked innocently.

"I didn't wanna go to Paris!"

"Why not?" Mater wondered. "Holley and Sammy need our help."

"I don't think I'm the right person to be helping them", Fudge explained. "I'm not a spy! I don't _wanna_ be a spy! I wanna be a racer! It was fun that one time, but it's dangerous!"

"So? That don't mean you can't help Holley and Sammy." He paused. "Fudge, they asked us for help. We can't let 'em down."

Fudge thought about that. "Yeah, I guess you're right", she admitted reluctantly.

"Now, come on! We got a mission to prepare fer!"

With a nervous smile, Fudge ran off after the tow truck.

"Hey, guys!" Lightning called after them as they tore off down Main Street. "What's going on?"

"We is goin' on a secret mission to Paris!" Mater replied. Then he lit up. "Hey! Why don't ya come with us?"

"To Paris?" Lightning repeated. "Gosh, I don't know... It seems dangerous!"

"That's what I said!" Fudge informed him.

Lightning cast a glance towards his little sister. He knew she was scared and felt sorry for her. "Well", he announced slowly, "I guess I can't let you guys do it alone. I'm coming with you!"

"All right!" Fudge cheered.

"Dad-gum!" Mater cried. "Me, Lightnin' and Fudge are a super secret spy team!"

* * *

Fudge raced home to Casa Della Tires, unsure of what to pack. She knew that her watch and pen that Holley and Sammy had given her were a must, but what else? She'd have to decide fast. Siddeley was going to be here soon. Finally, she just stashed a whole bunch of candy bars she'd been saving and a bottle of water. She also took a map and guidebook of Paris she'd found in a junk drawer. (Why did Luigi and Guido have that? She didn't know they'd ever been to Paris.) Fudge knew they would be there as spies, but she figured she could look at the map and guidebook to avoid suspicion. It looked a little old, but she was sure it would do just fine.

Now, how should she dress? What was appropriate attire for a spy mission? What did Sammy wear? Well, she wore a lot of black. Leather jackets and boots and stuff like that. Well, Fudge didn't own anything like that. Still, dressing in black sounded like a good idea. She pulled out a black T-shirt, pair of black cargo pants and black sneakers. Then she practically flew outside and sure enough, Siddeley was already there in the middle of Main Street.

"Fudge!" Siddeley exclaimed. "Climb aboard! Mater and Lightning are already inside."

"Thanks, Sid."

"Hey, computer!" Mater called out just as Fudge was entering the plane.

" _Yes, Agent Mater?_ "

"Me and Lightnin' McQueen is gon' need some fancy spy gadgets!"

" _Request acknowledged!_ "

"Do you still have the rockets from the World Grand Prix?" Fudge questioned.

"Oh, hey, Fudge!" Mater greeted her as he and Lightning were outfitted with weapons and communicators. "Yep. I still got the rockets!"

"And I've still got the watch!" Fudge showed him. "And Sammy gave me the pen once I was off my crutches!" She held that up. Fudge had broken her leg after Miles Axlerod had run her over. Miles Axlerod. Fudge shivered at the thought of facing him and his minions again.

" _Lady and gentlemen!_ " Siddeley's voice crackled through the intercom. He began to speak quickly. " _This is your captain speaking. Please buckle up and stow your table trays in the upright position. Next stop: Paris, France._ "

With that, Siddeley suspended himself into the air. All three of his passengers cried out in surprise. They did so again as he activated his afterburners.

"It's gonna be fun to see Finn, Holley and Sammy again!" Mater commented once they were used to the speed.

"Yeah", Fudge agreed. That was true, she thought. Still, she was afraid of what could possibly happen during this mission.

"Try not to worry, Fudge-O." Lightning smiled at her. "You and Mater were so good in that World Grand Prix mission. I'm sure you'll be just as great this time."

"Yeah..." Fudge had no idea how she was supposed to believe that. She'd been afraid to do it the first time. Then again, everything worked out fine, didn't they? On the other hand, this mission was almost certainly going to be different from the last one.

* * *

After about half an hour of contemplating these thoughts over and over again, the group arrived in Paris and met up with Finn, Holley and Sammy in the airport.

"There you are!" Finn exclaimed as they all met up. "It's good to see you all again."

"You too", the other three all chorused.

"And Fudge!" Sammy laughed, noticing that the younger human was in an outfit almost identical to hers. "You didn't have to dress up like me!" Although she was laughing, it was clear she was feeling kind of down.

Fudge was embarrassed.

"Yeah! Ya look like sisters!" Mater observed.

"You really do", Lightning agreed. Both Fudge and Sammy had brown hair, blue eyes and similar features.

"Well", Finn began, clearing his throat, "we're not here to socialise. We have Lemons to capture."

"Right!" Fudge rubbed her hands. "So, what do you know so far?"

"Well, we know they're in Paris", Holley reported. "Our tracking devices can tell us that much, but they must be interfering with the signal somehow, so we can't get a better idea of their location."

"Where do you think they would go?" Fudge wondered.

"Well, they is Lemons!" Mater pointed out. "They probably need spare parts."

"Brilliant!" Finn praised him. "Why don't you three go and see Tomber while we go to the market?"

"Okay!"

So, after Finn gave them instructions (things like remember to stay alert and remember to gather as much evidence as you can) the group of six split up.

* * *

"Do you remember the way to Tomber's, Mater?" Fudge wanted to know as they cruised through the streets of Paris.

"I think so", the tow truck replied uncertainly.

"Who's Tomber?" Lightning piped up. He'd been a little distracted by the amazing sights of the city. He'd never been to Paris before like Fudge and Mater had, though he was going to be racing through Europe with his WGP buddies later in the year.

"He's a black market parts dealer", Fudge explained casually.

"What?" Lightning sounded surprised.

"We're here!" Fudge announced abruptly as Mater pulled into the market.

However, when they got there, they heard Tomber moaning in French. His shop was an absolute _mess_! Even worse, he was covered in scratches and dents.

"I have been _robbed_!" he cried when he saw Mater, Fudge and Lightning.

"Who did this?" Fudge wondered, looking around at the shops.

"I have no idea!" Tomber replied. "I was blindfolded and beaten before I could see who they were."

The three Americans looked at each other.

"Do you think it was the Lemons?" Lightning quizzed the other two.

"That's what I was thinking", Fudge mused.

"Hey! Lookie here!" Mater exclaimed abruptly, eyeing the ground. "There's tyre tracks here!"

"I guess they were in a hurry after they robbed you", Lightning commented.

Fudge studied them. "These look like stock Hugo tyres!" she observed.

"Hugos?" Lightning repeated. "Are you sure?"

"No question about it", Fudge confirmed. After a pause, she added, "I know a lot about tyres, remember?" She'd learned from her fathers. While she spoke, she got a camera out of her watch and snapped some photos of the tyre marks. "I guess that means we've got Hugos to look out for."

After arranging help for Tomber, the trio followed the tyre tracks outside.

"They're still going", Fudge remarked, eyeing the black tyre tracks on the cobblestone.

"Well, let's follow 'em!" Mater suggested.

"Doesn't that seem rather time-consuming?" Lightning wondered. He paused to think about it. "Well, I guess this is the only lead we have."

"Right!" Fudge agreed. "Now, let's go!" She unearthed the guidebook out of her backpack and pretended to be studying it.

Lightning took the map and pretended to be focused on that.

"Keep an eye on the road", Fudge cautioned him.

Lightning smiled and did just that.

" _Mater?_ " Finn's voice came through the radio.

"Yeah, Finn?"

" _What have you got?_ "

Mater told him.

" _The markets over here have been robbed too_ ", the British spy reported. " _We're dealing with that at the moment. Well,_ Holley and I _are. Sammy is acting... rather unusual lately._ "

"I noticed that!" Fudge exclaimed.

" _She does seem rather distracted lately. And she appears to be feeling kind of down._ "

"I wonder why", Fudge mused.

Finn cleared his throat. " _I suppose we have bigger things to worry about right now._ _Anyway, are you sure those tyre tracks belong to Hugos?_ "

"I'm sure of it", Fudge confirmed and she explained how she knew.

Finn hummed in thought for a moment. " _Fudge, you should be able to see the photos I took of the tyre tracks come through on your watch_ ", he explained.

"Got them!" she confirmed. She studied the image. "Those look like stock Pacer tyres."

"Pacers?" Finn and Lightning both echoed in unison.

" _So, we're looking for Hugos and Pacers_ ", Holley mused in the background.

" _Well done, Fudge_ ", Finn praised her. " _Now, keep following those tracks and radio in if you have new information._ "

"Roger that", Fudge obeyed.

* * *

Finally, the tracks came to a stop in the middle of a very familiar Parisian building.

"Why would the Lemons go to the Louvre?" Lightning wondered, looking around at the famous museum. "They don't strike me much as art fans."

"I don't know", Fudge answered.

"Well, while we is here, we better look fer clues", Mater informed the other two, both of them agreeing.

The only clue they found was a puddle of oil on the floor right in front of the painting of the Motor Lisa.

Mater examined it. "This don't look like oil from a Hugo."

"You're right, Mater!" Fudge agreed, feeling the oil. Although race cars were her specialty, Fudge knew a bit about other cars.

"That feels like the oil from a Gremlin", Mater went on.

"You're right", Fudge repeated. She'd helped Doc work on the oil lines of a Gremlin before. He was a nice guy, Fudge recalled. She was comforting herself with the knowledge that not all Lemons were bad.

"I guess we've got Gremlins to worry about too", Lightning commented. After a pause, he asked, "Wait. How can we be so sure this is a Gremlin from the World Grand Prix? Not all Lemons are bad."

"Like Otis!" Mater cried.

"I was thinking the same thing", Fudge mused. "Just in case..." She pulled out a glass bottle Finn had given her to use for evidence and scooped as much oil as she could into it.

The trio went around the museum a little while longer before they realised there didn't seem to be any more clues.

"Why don't we head outside and radio Finn?" Lightning suggested.

"Yeah, good idea", the other two agreed.

As they made their way towards the exit, not one of them noticed the orange Gremlin and green Pacer, who were watching them.

"They're getting away!" the Pacer realised, horrified.

"Well, do something quick!" the Gremlin ordered.

"Why can't you?!" the Pacer shot back.

The Gremlin groaned and shot off. He knew he wouldn't be able to catch them now, but he had a plan.

* * *

Unfortunately, he was too slow. The second after Lightning, Mater and Fudge made it outside, they heard the sound of gunshots followed by people screaming and alarms blaring. They all gasped.

"That's gotta be the Lemons!"

They tried to make a rush for the doors again, but they were shut and locked. Nobody could get in or out. Fortunately, Fudge was able to release a camera from the watch and throw it inside right before the doors closed.

"We'll be able to see what's happening now", she reported to the guys after explaining that the camera was mobile.

All of them were concerned about the people inside, but there wasn't an awful lot they could do (well, they probably could, but they were afraid). They just radioed Finn and informed him of the situation.

" _Well, that does sound like the type of thing the Lemons would do_ ", the spy car mused. " _Although why, I have no idea. And we can't prove it until we get the footage from the camera. Why don't we meet up to discuss our next move?_ " He sent them directions to a nearby café.

"We'll be there!" Mater promised right before they signed off.

* * *

Fudge was a little nervous as they sat around with hot drinks and pastries. She remembered what happened the _last_ time she did that at a Parisian café. And it was the same Lemons, they were trying to track down at that very moment.

"Well, if that happens again, I can assure you I won't have anything to do with it", Sammy declared, half-jokingly.

"Have you got it yet, Holley?" Fudge quizzed the magenta spy car anxiously. All she wanted was to get out of that coffee shop and find those Lemons as soon as possible.

"Just a moment..." she replied, completely focused on her work. The image on Holley's heads-up display consisted mostly of static. Finally, an image of inside the Louvre became clear. There was a horrific scene of Grem and Acer holding a siege inside the museum. Staff and visitors would be held up at gunpoint as the two Lemons demanded, "Where are they?! They were here!" Clearly, they were looking for the tow truck and human girl, who had ruined their lives.

"Was anybody hurt in the siege?" Lightning wondered.

"It wouldn't appear so, so far", Finn reported. "It is still ongoing, though."

"How long do you think it could last?" Fudge wanted to know.

"Hard to say", Sammy responded. She'd been silent pretty much the entire time. "They may give up when they realise you're not there and just head out and look for us. That's what we're hoping for. We don't want any casualties. We don't want to have to tell any loved ones that..." Sammy stopped when she realised everyone was giving her an odd look. She sighed. "I'll be back in a sec. I need the bathroom." She rose and headed towards the café bathrooms.

Everyone watched her go.

"You know what? I'm gonna go too", Fudge announced, getting up and following Sammy.

* * *

After Fudge, you know, went, she was about to leave the stall, but she stopped. She heard an awful sound. It sounded like someone was crying! Peering through the gap in the door, Fudge could see Sammy standing in front of the mirrors, sobbing like a child and trying to wipe her tears away. It was quite surprising, really. Sammy always seemed so strong and together. It seemed out of character to see her crying like that! What could possibly be wrong? The eleven-year-old didn't know. She didn't have a clue.

Fudge didn't have a clue how long she was in there, listening to her either. Finally, though, Sammy washed her face, redid her makeup and walked out the door. The younger human was in a bit of shock. Still, she shook it off, washed her hands and returned to their table, grabbing some napkins on her way.

* * *

"I'm back!" she announced.

"Where did you go, Fudge?" Sammy wanted to know. She looked completely normal now.

"Getting napkins!" Fudge held them up.

Everyone else gave her an odd look. Hadn't she gone to the bathroom? Why did she say she was getting napkins?

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Why don't we get back to the mission?" Sammy suggested eagerly.

"Good idea!" Fudge agreed. A second later, there was a series of rapid beeps coming from her watch and the spy's communicators. Fudge gasped when she saw what the warning was.

Finn eyed the group of tourists parked at the next table suspiciously and discreetly. Slowly and carefully, one of them produced a gun. With quick instincts, Finn was able to ram into him before he could fire a bullet. That just triggered all of them to start firing bullets. People screamed and ducked for cover. Fudge was no exception. Instantly, she felt a little guilty because she was supposed to be willing to lay down her life to save the lives of others. However, she was the first one to duck under the table at the first sign of danger.

After a couple of shots, the Lemons tore off. The Hugos went one way and a group of Pacers went the other.

"Mater, you, McQueen and Fudge follow the Hugos. Holley, Sammy and I will follow the Pacers!"

"Roger that!" everyone comprehended as the two humans got out their hover boards and Mater activated his rockets.

So, the group split up again.

* * *

With Lightning McQueen racing after them and Mater with his rockets and Fudge on her hover board, catching up to the Lemons was a cinch. The only problem was that by then, they ducked into the Moteur Rouge as quickly as they could.

"Come on!" Lightning led the way inside.

As the Lemons drove up onto the stage, the trio from Radiator Springs knew they needed a plan.

"We gotta blend in!" Mater insisted, tossing feather headdresses towards the other two.

Reluctantly, they all put headdresses on and kicked and danced their way across the stage, imitating the car-car dancers' moves. All three of them felt like idiots, but they just had to suck it up and keep going.

Fudge was the first one to get all the way across the stage. Only, immediately, she wished she wasn't. There were Hugos all around her. She didn't think she could fight them all on her own. Glancing around anxiously, she prayed that Lightning and Mater would get there soon. She lifted her wrist up to use her watch to find a way out. However, she was too slow. Before she could fight back, one of the Hugos pinned her up against the wall, allowing another one to scoop her up onto his hood. Several others started throwing ropes around her and tightening them. Fudge screamed.

The scream echoed onto the stage and into the seats. The audience were surprised and confused. So were the performers. Mater and Lightning were shocked and horrified. They knew exactly what was going on.

"Fudge!" they gasped simultaneously, picking up speed.

They were too late. The first thing they saw was half of the Hugos driving off with Fudge tied up on one of their roofs with duct tape slapped over her mouth. She still let out several muffled cries.

"Fudge!" Mater and Lightning cried again.

It was too late. Fudge was thrown roughly into a transporter and the doors were closed.

"Fudge!" they called out helplessly as they watched the transporter pull away.

* * *

Inside the transporter, Fudge was still squirming and trying to shout, but she couldn't with the duct tape covering her mouth. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"We have the human, boss!" one of the Hugos called out.

"Excellent!" a very familiar voice responded. He sounded very pleased.

Fudge felt her heart skip a beat and more sobs escape from her when she heard that voice. Sure enough, there were Miles Axlerod and Professor Zundapp, peering over her.

Axlerod ran a tyre through her hair. "Sssh! Please don't cry. It's going to be okay. We're not going to hurt you... much", he muttered under his breath. "We just want to have some fun."

"No, no, no!" Fudge tried to cry out with the duct tape over her mouth.

Axlerod nodded at one of the Hugos, who ripped off the duct tape. The human girl yelped in pain.

"Let me go!" she cried.

Axlerod and Zundapp looked at each other.

"Now, why would we do that?" the latter asked with an evil grin. "If it makes you feel any better, your friends shall soon be joining you."

That was when a Hugo stuck a pill in Fudge's mouth. The eleven-year-old tried to spit it out, but that tyre was right there to make sure it went back in. She started to feel funny. She was dizzy and sick and there was an obnoxious ringing. The voices- and the laughter- sounded like they were coming from far away. Fudge felt that way for a couple of seconds before the world faded away to nothing.

 **Mwaahahahaha! Cliffhanger! I got a request to put Fudge in this story and a story where Fudge was kidnapped, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. Please review!**


	16. Mater and Fudge in Paris: Part 2

**Mater and Fudge in Paris**

 **Part 2**

"Finn! **FINN!** " Mater radioed in a panic as he and Lightning ditched their headdresses.

" _Mater, what is it?_ " Finn responded.

"Dem Lemons done got Fudge!" the tow truck informed him hysterically. "What is they gon' do ta her?!"

Finn sighed. " _I don't know, but we have to find her as quick as we can. If they're out for revenge, I highly doubt they'll show any mercy._ "

Mater and Lightning exchanged a terrified look.

" _We're in the middle of trying to find these Pacers_ ", Finn reported. " _Once we've finished that, we'll go and find Fudge._ "

"Aw right!" Mater agreed dejectedly, signing off. He looked to Lightning. "I ain't sure that's gon' be soon enough."

Lightning sighed. "Me neither, Mater."

The tow truck sighed too. "I guess Fudge was right 'bout it bein' dangerous. I shoulda listened to 'er. What is we gonna do?"

"I don't know, buddy", Lightning replied. He felt sorry for Mater; he could tell he felt guilty for bringing Fudge along. "We can't fight all those Lemons on our own. I guess we just gotta wait for Finn, Holley and Sammy."

"Or you could just come with us right now", a new voice piped up. "We can take you to the human!"

Mater and Lightning turned to find six Hugos backing them into a corner. Then there were eight. Then ten.

"Uh-oh..." Mater murmured anxiously.

"What?" one of the Hugos asked. "You said you wanted to save the human. If you come with us, we can make your job a little easier."

The two best friends looked at each other. They were quick to decide what to do.

So were the Hugos, it seemed. Two lunged for Lightning, one coming at him from each side. Luckily, the race car was able to use his high speed to get out of the way at the last second. The two thugs crashed into each other instead! Meanwhile, several other Hugos were coming at Mater. He swatted at them with his tyres and flung them out of the way with his trusty tow hook and pulled all kinds of other crazy karate moves too! He even reached into one of the Hugos' hoods, pulled out his battery and showed it to him before he stalled! Irritated, two more Hugos sprayed knockout gas in the tow truck's direction. Mater was too smart for them. He spun his tow hook as quickly as he could, fanning the gas back at the two Lemons. They passed out immediately.

Satisfied, Mater and Lightning took off down the street. Two Hugos had passed out and one was missing a battery, which left seven. Although the rest of them were hurt quite badly, they weren't about to go down without a fight. They were quick to follow the race car and tow truck.

"We better split up, buddy!" Mater suggested to Lightning. "I'll go right and you go left! No Wait! I'll go left and you go right! No! Wait..." Mater looked in both directions, trying to remember which was left and which was right. He just pointed in one direction. "You go that way..." He pointed in the other direction. "...and I'll go this way!"

So, that was what they did. Meanwhile...

* * *

"Mmmm!" Fudge groaned as her eyes fluttered open slowly.

As her eyes adjusted, the human girl realised that she was somewhere dark. It looked like she was in a cave. Were there caves in Paris? _The Catacombs!_ she remembered in a flash, recalling Finn, Holley and Sammy telling her about the Catacombs. She was bound at the wrists and ankles. She was still wearing her watch, but there was no way she could use it with her hands tied up like that. There was a cloth covering her mouth. It was cream and looked and smelt like it hadn't been washed in thirty years. She remembered that was how the cloth they used to gag her during the World Grand Prix looked and smelt. For a brief moment, Fudge wondered if it was the same one. She didn't ponder over it for very long. She had more important things to worry about at that point. Like the trickle of blood running down her forehead. Or the army of Lemons surrounding her.

"What do you want from me?!" she demanded fearfully.

Despite how muffled her voice was, the Lemons seemed to understand and grinned. Then they laughed. Their evil laughter sent a shiver through Fudge's spine.

"What do you _think_ we want?!" Acer laughed. "We want _revenge_!"

"You ruined our lives!" Axlerod snarled right in the girl's face. "We _told_ you and the tow truck you would regret ruining our lives!"

"I didn't!" Fudge wept. "I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

"You did it yourselves!" Fudge insisted. "Yourselves! It's not my fault you chose to hurt those cars!"

" **SHUT UP, YOU B**CH!** " Grem yelled, slapping Fudge across the face.

Axlerod grinned. "Yes... I think we can have some fun here."

* * *

"The Lemons got Fudge?!" Sammy repeated incredulously.

Finn nodded. "I'm afraid so", he confirmed.

Sammy launched a string of profanities into the night sky. "I never should've taken that tracking device off her!"

"You can't keep a tracking device on her for the rest of her life, Sammy", Finn reasoned.

"It wouldn't have done much good anyway", Holley pointed out logically. "They've been interfering with the signal."

All that did was make Sammy curse even more while Holley and Finn just stared at her in shock.

"What is the matter with you lately?" Finn wondered when she was done.

"Nothing", Sammy lied.

"It doesn't seem like nothing to me, Sammy."

"What are you, my mother?!" the human spy snapped.

Immediately, she regretted her choice of words. She looked away, blinking back tears.

"Sammy, you are part of my team", Finn informed her quietly. "I consider you a friend too and I'm concerned about you. If something's wrong, please tell me."

They were silent for a long time.

Finally, Sammy just shook her head. "Let's just kick some Lemon ass and save Fudge", she muttered, flying off on her hover board.

Finn and Holley followed her, but they were worried.

"Where are those sons of b**ches?!" Sammy demanded, seeing if there was any signal to view the tracking devices. No such luck.

"You mean us?" a voice piped up as a bunch of Pacers surrounded the trio of spies.

"Yes you, you sons of b**ches! Where's Fudge?!"

"We could take you to her if you want", one of the Pacers offered, grinning sinisterly. He was a black Pacer named Tedison.

"I think we're quite capable of going on our own, thank you!" Sammy snarled, aiming a gun at him. "Just tell us where she is!"

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?" Tedison replied. "I'd much rather do this!"

Before anybody knew what happened, he pulled out his own gun and fired a shot at Sammy. It got her in the leg.

"Sammy!" Finn and Holley exclaimed simultaneously.

"I'm fine!" she assured them. "You're gonna pay for that!"

The three spies fired a round of shots, sending a shower of bullets in the Pacers' direction before taking off. Unfortunately, the Pacers suffered only from shock, for the most part. The uninjured ones were quick to recover and chase Finn, Holley and Sammy.

* * *

On the other side of the city, Mater heard a series of rapid beeps come from his communicator as he raced through the streets of Paris.

" _Mater!_ " Holley's voice followed the beeps.

"Holley! We done got the Lemons!" Mater reported.

" _Where are they?_ " his girlfriend questioned.

"Right behind us!"

" _We've got Lemons on our tails too_ ", Holley informed him. " _I suppose we should-_ "

"Wait a sec!" Mater exclaimed. "I got an idea! Kin you, Finn and Sammy meet us at the top of the Eiffel Tower?"

Holley hesitated. She had no idea what Mater had planned, but Finn, who overheard, nodded at her.

"I trust him", Finn assured Holley.

" _All right_ ", she agreed. " _We'll meet you there._ "

Mater radioed Lightning to inform him of the plan.

" _On my way, buddy!_ " he comprehended.

* * *

" _Please stop_!" Fudge begged, her face and the rest of her body a mess of blood and bruises. She was thankful that the only weapon used so far was tyres. She had been beaten quite badly, but she was trying to be strong. Physically, that was okay. She was pretty tough when it came to pain. Mentally, it was almost impossible to be strong. She was so scared. "Stop!"

The Lemons stared at her as if she was crazy.

"Why would we stop?" Axlerod asked. "We're only just getting started."

"You can't make up for a year in prison with just one beating!" Acer informed her as if this was common knowledge.

"Grem, why don't we show her what we have in mind for her next?" Axlerod suggested.

Grem grinned and drove off. When he returned, he had the biggest knife Fudge had ever seen. She gulped. The Lemons had beaten her before and aimed guns at her. She'd even had a bullet graze her face once. However, this was the first time they'd ever used knives around her.

"Nononononono!" Fudge bawled hysterically, squirming, fighting desperately to get away.

"Ssh, ssh, ssh, ssh!" Axlerod whispered gently, sliding his tyres across her shoulders and holding her head still. If Fudge didn't know any better, she would've thought he was giving her a hug and being genuinely sympathetic. "It's going to be all right."

Grem came forward with the knife. "Don't worry. It won't hurt at all."

"Nononononono!" Fudge screamed, kicking madly. Tears poured down her face.

Her pleas were ignored. Grem dug the knife into her forehead and made a line all the way down it. The child continued to scream in fear as she winced in pain.

"What's the matter?" Professor Z questioned innocently. "Does it hurt?"

"Grem promised it wouldn't hurt", Acer reminded her.

"I lied!"

They all laughed like maniacs!

"Grem, Grem, Grem." Zundapp shook his front. "Why would you lie to an innocent child like that?"

Grem flashed him a devilish grin. "I'm evil, remember?"

For some reason, that just made them all laugh even more as Grem continued to cut across Fudge's face.

"Don't!" the girl screamed. "Stop!"

"Don't stop?" Grem teased, knowing exactly what she meant. "Whatever you say!"

"No! Please stop! I'll do anything you want!"

Fudge wasn't expecting anything to happen, but there was some hesitation.

"Anything?" they asked.

Fudge nodded eagerly. "Yeah. Anything."

" _Anything_?"

" _Anything_!"

"Tell you what." Axlerod began to untie one of her wrists. "You use your communicator to tell your little friends where you are and we'll stop hurting you." In a much quieter tone, he added, "For now."

Fudge hesitated. She knew what Axlerod was doing and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. On one hand, this could be her chance for freedom. Finn, Holley, Sammy, Lightning and Mater would know where she is! They could come and save her. She was confident that the spies could do it. On the other hand, what about Mater and Lightning? Could they save her and get away unharmed? And what if even the spies couldn't do it? The human girl just didn't know what to do.

Before she could make up her mind, she heard a loud beeping sound, making her jump right out of her skin (much to the Lemons' amusement). Axlerod turned his attention to his radio, which was powerful enough to be used even in the Catacombs.

"Have you captured them yet?" were the first words out of Axlerod's mouth. He didn't mention who _they_ were, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

" _Not yet, sir!_ " Tedison replied. " _But we did hear their plan! They're going to meet at the top of the Eiffel Tower._ "

Axlerod grinned. "Excellent!" He glanced around at his fellow Lemons with a huge grin. "Why don't we all pay them a visit?"

"Yeah!" they all agreed enthusiastically.

"This is gonna be fun!" Grem declared.

They all laughed hysterically as they drove off, leaving Fudge behind.

Well, that was a pretty dumb move on their part. They forgot to retie her wrist in the ropes. Fudge knew exactly what to do and with no Lemons keeping an eye on her, she didn't feel too afraid to try. Slowly, she stretched her free hand over to the other side. It wasn't easy to do, but she just managed to use her tied-up hand to press a button on her watch. A knife flipped out the side of the watch, Fudge sawed away at the ropes around her wrist and that was all it took. She was quick to do the same to the ropes around her feet.

 _Yes!_ Fudge thought as she bounced to her feet, rubbing her sore wrists. With a grin on her face, she reached into her pocket and fingered the item in there. She knew exactly where she needed to be and how she planned on getting there!

* * *

Meanwhile, Mater, Lightning, Finn, Holley and Sammy were each trying to make their own ways towards the Eiffel Tower. Hugos and Pacers had been hot on their trail for a while, but as more and more time went on, they continued to slow down.

"What _is_ the plan, Mater?" Finn wanted to know, radioing the tow truck.

"Just drive!" was the answer.

"Roger that. We'll be there in about five minutes", Finn announced.

"Uh... Me too, I think", Mater replied.

Mater and Lightning made it to the bottom of the tower at the same time.

"Hey, buddy!" Mater grinned as he caught sight of his best friend.

"Hey, Mater!" he returned the greeting.

"Wanna race to the top of the Eiffel Tower?"

Race. That was one of Lightning McQueen's favourite words. "You're on!"

Finn, Holley and Sammy arrived just moments later.

"We're at the tower, Mater", Finn radioed.

" _Me and Lightnin' is already on our way up!_ " the tow truck reported. " _Wanna join our race?_ "

"Can't we just fly up to the top?" Sammy wondered.

" _No!_ " Mater vetoed. " _The plan ain't gonna work if ya do that!_ "

"What is the plan?" Holley repeated Finn's earlier question.

" _It ain't gon' work if I tell ya that either!_ " Mater insisted.

"All right. We trust you", all three spies assured him, beginning the climb to the top of the tower.

" _See y'all at the top in a few minutes!_ " Mater told them.

The higher they got on the famous Parisian landmark, the wider the gap between the spies and the Lemons got.

"I won!" Mater hollered as he finally reached the top just inches ahead of Lightning. "Whee-hoo! I done beat the great Lightnin' McQueen!"

Lightning rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. "I let you win! I could've beaten you if I wanted to!"

"Yeah, sure, buddy!" Mater teased.

"And looks like we've got company", Lightning observed as the spies showed up.

"What took ya so long?" Mater teased them.

"We could've gotten here quicker if we didn't have to ride the whole tower!" Sammy snapped, half jokingly, half serious. "So, _now_ , will you tell us the plan, Mater?"

"How 'bout I show ya instead?" He grinned. "Three... Two... One..."

Nobody knew if Mater knew it was going to happen or it was just a coincidence, but that was the exact moment the Hugos and Pacers reached the top of the Eiffel Tower. They were all out of breath and clearly exhausted.

"Finally!" Tedison panted. "We got you... right where... right where we want you! Prepare to meet... your doom..." With that, he collapsed from exhaustion. "All right", he muttered. "You got five minutes to prepare for your doom!" However, a couple of seconds later, he was out cold!

Everyone stared at Mater with unreadable expressions.

"That was your big plan?" Sammy asked, her tone equally unreadable. "Let the Lemons chase us till they collapsed from exhaustion?"

"Yep", Mater confirmed, sounding nervous. Were they not impressed?

After a moment of silence, all four of the others started laughing.

Sammy shook her head in disbelief. "So simple, it's brilliant!"

"You never cease to amaze me", Finn added.

Holley gave the tow truck a kiss on the fender. "Well done, Mater."

Mater beamed proudly. Or maybe because of the kiss. Nobody really knew.

Finn sighed. "Well, I suppose we better hand these Lemons over to the authorities."

* * *

"Yes. But first, we can have the pleasure of killing you all!" a new voice piped up.

They all turned towards the speaker. Miles Axelrod, Professor Zundapp, Grem and Acer surrounded the five heroes. Behind them were an entire army of Gremlins, Pacers, Hugos and Trunkovs.

"So", Finn began, eyeing them all, "we meet again."

"For the last time!" Acer added.

Everyone glared at him. "Acer!"

"Sorry", he mumbled. "I got caught up in the moment."

Axlerod shook his hood and continued. "Anyway, I really ought to be thanking you for making this easier for us. We just came to Paris to get some spare parts. Then we found out you were here too and we just knew we had to stay to defeat you."

"How did you know we was here?" Mater wondered.

"That's not important", Axelrod answered. "What's important is that you are all about to die!"

They all drew in a little closer.

"I have spent decades waiting to destroy you, Finn McMissile", Professor Z informed him. "So many plans failed! Now, there is nothing that can stop us!"

"You assume we'll go down without a fight", Finn deadpanned.

The Lemons merely grinned. They did not mind that one bit.

* * *

The next few minutes were total chaos. Finn and Sammy fired shots at the Lemons. Holley used her Taser on several of them and used her wings to ram into them. Mater used his karate moves to fling them all around. If any came near Lightning, he'd race out of the way. Most of the times that happened, the Lemon would crash either into a metal pillar or one of their buddies. They were able to beat a lot of them, but it was slow-going. There were just so many of them. On top of that, Axlerod, Zundapp, Grem and Acer were very quick and cunning. They were able to avoid every single shot and attack sent their friends' way. If they kept it up, it was going to be impossible to get them to come to jail.

* * *

"Anything I can do to help?" a familiar voice questioned from behind the good guys.

Mere seconds before that, there had been noise all around. The top of the Eiffel Tower was filled with nothing but gunshots and Lemons screaming and groaning in pain. However, at that voice, everything went dead silent as everyone turned to the owner of the voice.

"Fudge!" Mater and Lightning exclaimed simultaneously. They both had big grins on their faces as the human girl landed her hover board at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

However, not everyone was so happy to see her.

"How did you escape?!" Axlerod exploded.

"You freed one of my hands", Fudge explained. "I used a knife in my watch to cut myself free the rest of the way."

The Lemons turned to stare at her, unable to believe their stupidity. A lot of them started cursing.

"Well, you're not getting away again!" Without warning, Axlerod lunged for Fudge and grabbed hold of her. He aimed a gun at her head, making the spies quick to aim their guns and Tasers at him.

"Let her go!" Finn ordered, edging closer to Axlerod.

Axlerod laughed. "Or _what_?!"

They all closed in on him as Sammy spat in his face, "You deserve to die!" Her words were filled with venom.

More laughter came from the Lemon Big Boss. "I'd rather die than go back to jail! The only reason I didn't kill myself in jail was because I wanted to make sure I took you all with me! You ruined my life!"

"No we didn't!" Fudge repeated her earlier thoughts as she squirmed. "It's _your_ fault! You chose to hurt those cars! Now, you have to pay the price!"

Axlerod looked so furious at the eleven-year-old for saying that. He gave her the most evil glare he could muster and immediately, Fudge began to fear whatever it was that he was about to do. He could quite easily shoot her dead with one bullet. Although, he may not do that. Fudge doubted he would be so merciful as to end her pain quickly.

"You know what? You're right", he informed her. "I _did_ choose to hurt those cars. And now, I'm going to choose to hurt _you_." He took a deep breath. " **LONG LIVE LEMONS!** "

With those final words, Miles Axlerod reversed back, dragging Fudge along with him. He got closer and closer to the edge of the tower. Finally, he flung both Fudge and himself over the edge and they were sent plummeting towards the ground below.

 **That's right! Another cliffhanger! Tune in next Monday for the third and final part. I'm pretty excited about the end and, as I've said, I hope you are too! Please review! Remember my two-review rule?**


	17. Mater and Fudge in Paris: Part 3

**Well, here we are! The third and final part of _Mater and Fudge in Paris_! For the most part, the excitement's over in the story. Part three is mostly just tying up some loose ends. How is it all going to end? What is this big reveal that I've been so excited about and haven't shut up about? Read on and find out...**

 **Mater and Fudge in Paris**

 **Part 3**

"You're gonna pay for what you've done!" Sammy growled, shifting her gun to the other three. She looked absolutely furious about what they had done to Fudge while Mater and Lightning looked too shocked to do anything.

"What did _we_ do?!" Grem questioned innocently. "Axlerod's the one who threw her off the tower!"

"Yeah, we didn't do anything!" Acer added. "Although, we thought it was pretty awesome!"

"And that's exactly why you must die!" Sammy insisted.

That was when they heard of the whirring of a helicopter growing closer.

"Well, as fun as that sounds", Zundapp began as a black helicopter dropped down in front of them, "we should be going." As he climbed aboard followed by Grem, Acer and the very few Lemons who were still conscious, he added tauntingly, "We should do this again sometime."

"How 'bout right now?" Mater shot out his tow hook and tried to attach it to the inside of the helicopter. Finn imitated him with his grappling hook. Before they could climb on board, two black forklifts inside the chopper just casually detached the two hooks, sending them flying back towards their owners. The helicopter had gotten too far away for them to try again.

"Ah!" Mater screamed as his tow hook hit him in the eye. "Dad-gum!"

" _Request acknowledged._ "

Guns appeared on either of Mater's sides. There was one word that came to mind and this time, Mater was prepared for what was about to happen.

"Shoot."

" _Request acknowledged._ "

A shower of bullets were sent in the Lemons' direction. Most of them ducked for cover, but Mater got a couple of non-fatal shots before the helicopter got too far away. The bad guys laughed, convinced the good guys' attempts to stop them had failed miserably.

"Farewell!" Zundapp called teasingly as they disappeared from view.

* * *

Lightning, who had been silent for a while, stared at the spies in disbelief. "So, we're just gonna let 'em go?"

"On the contrary", Finn corrected him. He looked to Sammy. "Miss Rose? Would you care to do the honours?"

Sammy grinned. "With pleasure!" Seemingly from nowhere, she pulled out a rocket launcher.

Lightning's eyes widened. "Oh, my gosh!"

"Who's laughing now, you b***tards?!" Sammy hollered as she fired a rocket directly at the helicopter.

A second later, there was a fiery explosion. Down below, it rained metal car parts across Paris.

"Dad-gum!" Mater whispered softly at the sight of it all.

Sammy looked back at the others with a triumphant grin. "You're welcome!"

"I don't know whether to be impressed or terrified", Lightning admitted.

* * *

" _Sammy!_ " a familiar voice radioed the human woman. " _Come in, Sammy!_ "

"Fudge!" Sammy exclaimed.

"Fudge, yer alive!" Mater cheered.

" _Am I?_ " the human girl replied. " _I didn't notice!_ "

"Are you okay?!" Sammy quizzed her.

" _I'm fine!_ " Fudge assured the older human. " _There's just one problem..._ "

"What?!" Lightning demanded fearfully.

" _I dropped my pen!_ " she answered. " _Do you think I could borrow yours, Sammy?_ "

Sammy grinned and clicked her pen. Just like that, it transformed into a hover board. The human spy leapt up onto it and flew around the tower.

"Hi!" Fudge called when she spotted Sammy. The eleven-year-old had wrapped the grappling hook in her watch around one of the metal pillars of the famous structure. She was just dangling there.

"I got you, I got you!" Sammy assured the girl, wrapping her arms around her and placing her on the hover board.

"Hi!" Fudge repeated as they returned to the top where Mater, Lightning Finn and Holley were waiting for them.

"Fudge!" Lightning and Mater raced forward to hug their little sister.

Finn, Holley and Sammy watched them, smiling, before, after a second, they joined in the group hug. They were all pretty sure they heard some sniffling, but nobody brought any attention to it.

Finn was the first one to speak. "I can't believe it. Professor Zundapp was one of my mortal enemies for over thirty years. I can't believe he's really gone."

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about him anymore", Fudge mused.

"And Fudge is safe", Holley added.

"Now, that's what I call a successful mission!" Sammy declared.

* * *

Hours later, the six heroes were roaming the streets of Paris. After the case had been handed over to the French authorities, none of them knew what to do.

"Hey, guys!" Lightning announced excitedly after a while. "I got another mission for us!"

"Does it involve more car-car dancin'?" Mater asked.

"Even better", Lightning replied. "We're goin' to the races at Le Mans!"

Fudge's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

"Whooohooo!" Mater cheered. "Now, you're talkin', buddy!"

"That sounds fun!" Sammy commented.

"You like racing?" Fudge asked, realising how little she knew about Sammy's personal life. Although she did know some deep stuff about her like what had happened to her two sons, she didn't know the little things like that.

"I sure do." Sammy slipped her arm around Fudge. "I grew up with it very much the way you did."

Fudge grinned. "Cool!"

* * *

It definitely was cool. Everyone enjoyed the race very much. Fudge and Lightning were amazed at the skill of the racers. On top of that, they were amazed with how much Sammy knew about racing. She seemed to understand a lot of tactics and what went on behind the scenes.

"I didn't know you knew anything about racing, Sammy!" Finn remarked on their way out, equally impressed. He and Holley knew next to nothing about racing.

Sammy smirked as she tossed her rainbow hair over her shoulder. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Finny boy."

"Well", Finn began, "if we're done here, then I suppose it's time we got you three home."

Once again, Sammy looked away, blinking back tears, but she was relieved that nobody else seemed to notice.

* * *

" _Next stop: Radiator Springs!_ " Siddeley announced through the intercom once he'd taken off and activated his afterburners. " _Our estimated travel time is thirty minutes._ "

"Thanks, old boy!" Finn called.

"Do you know what that means?" Lightning quizzed Mater and Fudge. "That means we'll be back in Radiator Springs in time for dinner at Flo's!"

"Great! I'm starving!" Fudge declared.

"You know", Lightning began thoughtfully, glancing at the spies, "you're welcome to stay for dinner if you want."

"Oh, we certainly don't want to impose-" Finn started.

"Oh, but you wouldn't be!" Fudge insisted. "I'm sure everyone in Radiator Springs will want to see you."

"Well", Finn thought out loud, "I suppose we could stay for dinner."

"I think it sounds lovely!" Holley agreed.

Only Sammy remained silent.

"Yay!" Fudge cheered.

"Whee-hoo!" Mater hollered, swinging his tow hook around excitedly.

"This is gonna be fun!" Fudge proclaimed.

* * *

Mater, Lightning and Fudge counted the minutes till Siddeley landed in Radiator Springs.

"Luigi!" Fudge cried. "Guido!"

The Fiat and the forklift raced forward to hug their daughter. "Fudgie!"

"We heard you went to Paris!" Luigi informed her, kissing her gently. "Did you have fun?" Although Finn had told them they had taken Mater, Lightning and Fudge to Paris, he didn't tell them the reason why. He made it sound like he just wanted to catch up with them.

"Yeah, it was really fun!" the eleven-year-old confirmed.

"Well, we are so happy you had fun!" Luigi kissed her again and again. "But we are even happier you are home! Flo said dinner should be ready in about five minutes. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah!" Fudge answered.

"Okay." Luigi gave her another kiss. "Well, go and wash up."

Fudge raced off to do just that.

* * *

A few minutes later, Fudge was excited to have a plate in front of her, which held meat loaf, peas, carrots, broccoli and mashed potatoes.

"Thanks, Flo!" She grinned, drowning her entire plate, especially her mashed potatoes, in gravy.

"It does look marvellous, Flo", Finn added when he received his. "Thank you."

"Thanks", Sammy managed with a weak smile.

"It is rather nice to have a home-cooked meal", Holley commented. "We don't get too many of those when we're out on missions." She smiled at Finn and Sammy. "Isn't that right?"

"Sure is", Sammy mumbled, sounding quite depressed.

Not everyone was so hungry, though. A lot of them were more interested in making conversation.

"So, what did you all get up to in Paris?" Sally wanted to know.

"We went to the Louvre and the Moteur Rouge", Lightning began. "To the Eiffel Tower..."

"And I went to the Catacombs!" Fudge chimed in.

"By yourself?" Luigi asked, giving her an odd look.

"No, no!" Sammy assured him. "She most definitely wasn't alone. It was just that not all of us wanted to go."

Luigi nodded. "Okay."

"That's right", Lightning agreed. "And we went to Le Mans."

* * *

They talked all the way through dinner and dessert of apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

"I'll have to take you to Paris someday, Sally", Lightning informed his girlfriend. "You'll love it there!"

The highlight of the meal, though, was definitely Fudge, Lightning and Mater showing off their car-car dancing. That had everyone roaring with laughter. Everyone except one, that was. Sammy didn't do any talking or laughing. She didn't do very much eating either. Every now and then, amidst her laughter, Fudge would catch a glimpse of the human spy and couldn't help worrying. What was wrong with Sammy?

* * *

The young girl got her answer when she went for a quick stroll through the woods. There was nothing but the moonlight to guide her way. She loved going down to the waterfall when the moon was glowing like this. It was a nice, beautiful, peaceful place to be alone with her thoughts (and after her huge adventure, she felt like she needed that).

However, that didn't appear to be the case that night. Who did she see but Sammy Rose sat on the rock by the water. She was crying again.

Fudge was just as surprised as she'd been in Paris to see Sammy cry. She was about to walk away and act like she hadn't seen anything again, but then she stopped. She thought about that for a second. Was that the right thing to do? Maybe she wasn't comfortable in social situations, especially not these kinds of situations. And maybe it wasn't really any of her business what was wrong with Sammy. But Sammy was her friend. She genuinely cared about her and wanted to be there for her.

"Sammy?" she ventured.

Sammy was embarrassed to be seen crying. She was quick to wipe her tears away and as Fudge hugged her, she found herself hugging her back. "Hey, Fudge..."

"What's wrong?" the human girl wanted to know.

"Nothing..."

"That doesn't look like nothing to me. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but it's definitely not nothing. I'm worried about you."

Sammy sighed. "That's okay. I think it's time to get this off my chest..." She took another deep breath. "I guess with all these missions, travelling all over the world and then coming here... I guess I've been feeling kind of homesick lately."

"Oh." Fudge wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Well, there's nothing wrong with that. I feel homesick whenever I leave Radiator Springs."

"Well, you've never been away from Radiator Springs and your family- your _loving_ family- for as long as I've been away from my home. First, I went to college in Michigan. Then I stayed in Michigan to be trained by Rod. _Now_ , I'm travelling anywhere and everywhere, saving the world! I've only been back twice since then! I... I just miss my family!" Sammy cried even more.

"What _is_ your family like?" Fudge wanted to know. Immediately, she wasn't sure if she should've asked that. Not only could it make Sammy even more upset, but as a spy, that information was probably classified.

However, Sammy didn't seem to mind. "Well, my mom died when I was ten. Stabbed right in the chest. I saw it happen. One of her so-called friends did it! And she never paid for what she did! _That's_ why I was so determined not to let those Lemons get away with what they'd done!"

Fudge froze. She hadn't known. Of course she hadn't known. She tried to think of something- anything- she could say to her. Nothing seemed right.

"I know what it's like not to have a mom", she managed finally, hugging her tighter. "It sucks."

"It really does!" Sammy agreed. "I didn't really have a father either."

"Why not?" Fudge wondered before she could stop herself.

"He was always too busy for us. He travelled a lot for work and was hardly ever there. In fact, that's why he and my mom argued all the time when he _was_ home. Then when Mom died, he cut us out completely." Sammy was quiet for a moment. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed abruptly. "I'm just like my dad! I hated him so much for doing that, but here I am, doing the same thing. I just left my family! I... Oh, s**t!" More loud sobs escaped from the rainbow-haired woman.

Fudge was silent for a moment. "You know, maybe my mom had a reason for abandoning me."

Sammy gave her an odd look. "What?" _Did Fudge even_ hear _me?_ she wondered.

"I don't know because my mom never bothered to talk to me in person or otherwise", Fudge went on. "I just wish that if my mom _does_ love me and she still thinks about me, she'd _tell_ me that."

"Where are you going with this, Fudge?"

"Maybe you should do something to let your family know you still love them and haven't forgotten about them?" the younger human suggested. "Because I know you haven't."

Sammy sniffled. "You're right, kiddo. Maybe I should."

"So, if your mom died and your dad was never around, who did you live with?"

"Well, I'm from New York originally, but when Mom died, my grandma took me and my brother in and we moved to her small town down south very much like this one." Sammy smiled fondly. Well, that made sense. Sammy _did_ have a New York accent with a hint of southern mixed in.

"Were you home-schooled like me then?" Fudge wondered.

"For a little while, yeah. But then I went to an all girls boarding school in Florida when I was thirteen."

"I would've hated that", Fudge commented, thinking about how much she hated leaving Radiator Springs.

"It wasn't that bad", Sammy assured her. "I just preferred being at home. My grandma is wonderful. She was always there for me and my brother when we needed her. She loved us way more than her son ever did. Her friends became like my family too. They were great as well."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. He's six years younger than me, so he's just finishing his junior year of high school. I promised I'd come to his graduation and I'm hoping I can keep that promise." She laughed through her tears. "He used to drive me crazy, but I love him anyway." Her sobs started up again. "God, I just miss them so much!"

"Well, if you get some time off, you could always visit them", Fudge pointed out. "Can't you?"

Sammy nodded. "Yeah, I can. I just don't know when that's gonna be."

"You know what Doc used to tell me? If something's that important to you, then you've gotta make time for it."

"Yep", Sammy whispered, drying her eyes. "That does sound like the kind of thing Doc would say."

Fudge gave her an odd look. "How would you know? You never met him."

"Just... based on the stuff you've said about him... You know what?" Sammy realised. "You're right. I'm just gonna have to make time to see my grandma and brother." She stood up. "I gotta go. Finn and Holley must want to head back to London now."

Fudge stood up too. "Yeah. Luigi and Guido are probably gonna be wondering where I am."

"Hey, Fudge? Thanks. I'm glad to call you my friend." _No_ , Sammy corrected her thinking, though she was too embarrassed to say it out loud. _It's more than that._ She was beginning to regard Fudge as the little sister she never had.

Fudge smiled. "I'm glad to call you my friend too!"

* * *

"Sammy, there you are!" Finn exclaimed as she and Fudge showed up.

"We were just about to contact you", Holley added. She was in the middle of saying goodbye to Mater. "We really ought to be heading back to headquarters."

"Do ya really have to go?" Mater asked, sounding disappointed.

"I'm afraid so", Holley replied.

"But y'all will come back, right?"

"Of course!" the magenta sports car chuckled, giving him a kiss. "We'll see each other again before you know it."

Finn smiled at Lightning, Mater and Fudge. "Thank you so much for your help during this mission. We couldn't have done it without you." Hugging Fudge, he added, "Now, stay out of trouble, all right?"

"We'll try!" Fudge giggled, returning the hug.

"Only if you do the same", Lightning added.

"We will", all three spies promised in unison.

Sammy gave Fudge one last hug. "Thank you, Fudge." She didn't say what for. She didn't need to.

Fudge grinned. "No problem."

"Well", Finn sighed, "I suppose we better be off."

"Goodbye! Goodbye!" the spies and Radiator Springs residents called to each other, waving.

The RS gang waved until Siddeley's ramp closed. They watched in amazement as the spy jet took to the skies and kept their eyes glued on him until he was gone.

* * *

"Finn?" Sammy began once they were in the air.

Finn looked her way. "Hm?"

"Do we have to go back to HQ right away?"

The British spy thought about that for a moment. "I don't believe so."

"Is it okay if you drop me off somewhere for tonight? Siddeley can come and pick me up in the morning. If you don't mind!" she added hurriedly.

"I _don't mind_ ", Sid assured her. " _Do_ you _, Finn?_ "

"Not at all", Finn answered.

" _All right, Sammy. Just tell me where we're going!_ " Sid instructed her.

Sammy grinned. She knew exactly where she wanted to be.

* * *

As soon as Siddeley dropped her off and carried on on his way, Sammy had the biggest smile on her face. It was dark, but she could still see all right. The mountains, the woods, the rickety old bridge. Cliché, it may be, but it was true. There really was no place like home.

She hadn't been stood there for long before a pair of headlights started heading her way. They came to a stop right in front of her and Sammy could clearly see who it was. There was a brownish-orange, slightly rusty pickup truck in front of her and by his side was a large white goose. As soon as she saw them, tears came to her blue eyes.

The truck's eyes widened at the sight of the human standing there. " _Sammy_?!" he gasped.

" **SMOKEY!** " Sammy cried, throwing her arms around him and sobbing.

Smokey returned the hug, shushing her gently. "It's all right, darlin'", he whispered.

After a while, the goose honked at them as if to say, _What about_ me _?!_

Sammy laughed and immediately, started fussing over the goose. "Hey, Herman!"

"Herman sure has missed you", Smokey informed her with a smile. "We all have. Aren't you meant to be in London, though? What are you doin' here, Sammy?"

Sammy looked up from petting Herman and grinned at Smokey. "I'm thirsty!"

 **The End!**

 **That's right! Sammy lived in Thomasville! What do you guys think of that? _Please_ let me know! I love it and I hope you do too! :)**

 **By the way, I know I mentioned Herman in _COTSLOF_ as living in Thomasville when Doc/Hud did. Either he's an immortal goose or they just keep replacing him with a goose with the same name and same personality every time he dies. I'll let you guys interpret it however you want.**

 **Thank you so much to Bladeisheroic1 for this suggestion and thanks to everyone else for reading and reviewing! I'm not sure when I'll have the next story up. It's all finished, but will need to proofread and make sure it's ready to go. It's your call, I guess.**

 **Please review! I hate having to remind you of my two review rule, but sometimes, I feel like I have to.**


	18. Need for Speed

**When I said I'd already written the next story in the last chapter, this wasn't the one I'd written, but oh well.**

 **This is one of two oneshots I want to post before I get too far into _Driven to Win_. There is also a _Ride_ preview in the form of a flashback. Enjoy.**

 **Need for Speed**

"Come on! You're a skilled race car and I'm an experienced rider! I'm sure we'll be _fine_!"

"Skill and experience can't get you out of every accident! Look, there's nothing you can say that will change my mind! The answer is no."

"But-"

"No buts. I said no. I don't understand why you'd even _want_ to after what happened to you."

As he spoke, Lightning McQueen stared at the fourteen-year-old human girl in front of him. He did feel sorry for her, having to be told no, but it was for her own good. Two years ago, Fudge had been involved in a serious accident that had almost ended her life while she was racing with him. Lightning blamed himself and could never forgive himself for what happened. He was just trying to protect her.

So, he didn't like it when Fudge kept begging him to take her racing again. Apparently, her freak accident had done nothing to deter her from racing.

"I don't understand it!" he'd complained to his friends on multiple occasions. "Why doesn't it bother her?"

"It probably does", the others would inform him calmly. "It's just hard for her to understand because she doesn't remember the accident. And she was in the coma for the worst of it."

"She was still in pain, though", Lightning had pointed out. "She could see what it did to her!"

"She does see. Like I said, she doesn't understand how bad it really was."

That was obvious. If Fudge understood, she wouldn't be constantly asking him to take her racing again like she was doing right now.

"Look, Fudge, I know how much you loved racing", Lightning sympathised. "But we've been _through_ this! I really don't think it's a good idea for you to do it again."

"Why-"

" **DON'T ASK ME** **WHY!** " Lightning's outburst made Fudge jump. "You _know_ why!"

Fudge froze, looking kind of scared of him.

Lightning took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I'm sorry, Fudge. I don't mean to yell. Just... please don't talk to me about racing right now."

Normally, Fudge would protest. However, she was still shocked by his outburst. "All right", she obliged quietly.

"All right", Lightning echoed just as quietly. "I gotta get ready for my date with Sally. I'll see you later."

"All right", the fourteen-year-old repeated. "Have fun."

Lightning smiled softly and gave her a kiss. "Love you, sweetie!" he called as he drove off, mainly to ease the tension.

"Love you too!" Fudge responded.

* * *

"I don't understand!" Lightning blurted out to Sally as they poured over the Wheel Well menu (of course, they knew what was on it, but sometimes, they would look at it to help them figure out what they wanted). "Fudge doesn't seem to care about my feelings! Why can't she understand?!"

"Maybe you should tell her", Sally suggested.

Lightning looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"Tell her how it makes you feel", Sally insisted. "You can't expect her to understand if you don't tell her."

"I've tried!" Lightning insisted. "She doesn't listen to me!"

"I guess you haven't found the right way."

"The right way?" the race car echoed in more confusion.

"Yeah", his girlfriend confirmed. "You know Fudge. You just have to think of a way to tell her how you feel about her racing that will make her understand."

Lightning was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You always seem to just say 'Not after what I went though after your accident'", Sally went on. "You may even have to _tell_ her what you went through after her accident."

Lightning thought about that. After Fudge's accident, he'd been afraid to get back into racing himself for a long time. He had nightmares and he was afraid of storms. He never told her any of that in fear of making her feel worse. After all, she was depressed after the accident too.

"I'll think about it", he told Sally finally, not sounding at all comfortable with telling Fudge any of that. He sighed. "I don't wanna talk or think about Fudge anymore. I just wanna think about who's in front of me: the most beautiful car in the world."

Sally beamed.

* * *

"I don't understand it!" Fudge blurted out to her fathers when they were sat eating dinner at home. "I know I had my accident, but why does that mean Lightning doesn't wanna take me racing anymore? He knew it could happen!"

Luigi and Guido were quiet for a moment and both of them stopped eating.

"I am sure he did", Luigi assured her quietly. He put some more food on his fork, but didn't eat it. "He probably just did not think it _would_ happen. Neither of us did. Now, he knows that it can happen and what it can do to you."

"I guess..." Fudge thought about that. "Still, I wish he would take me racing again."

Both of her fathers went quiet again.

"No", Luigi disagreed firmly, putting his fork down. "We don't. We don't want you racing again either."

"Why not?" Fudge wondered.

"For the same reasons McQueen refuses to take you", Luigi responded sternly. He'd heard his daughter argue with Lightning about this countless times and he didn't want her to start with him.

There was a third moment of silence.

"Fudge", Guido began gently, "(we are your fathers. All we want is to look after you. We always want to make sure you are happy, healthy and safe. You understand that, don't you?)"

She nodded. " _Si_."

"(And you understand that we are not convinced that you are safe while you are racing?)"

" _Si_ ", the fourteen-year-old repeated. All she could think, though, was, _But don't you understand I'm_ happy _when I'm racing?_

Guido gave her a nod and a small smile. "(Good. We are glad you understand. Everyone in Radiator Springs loves you very much and just wants to take care of you... We are just trying to protect you.)"

Luigi nodded seriously. "That is right."

"Yeah, I know."

"So, did you hear about the new tyres we are getting?" Luigi changed the subject.

Fudge shook her head. "No. What?"

The three returned to dinner, conversing about tyres and just about every other topic besides racing. Still, racing was in the back of Fudge's mind the whole time.

* * *

Fudge loved everyone in Radiator Springs very much. She would do just about anything for them. After all, they'd all done so much for her. They'd loved her and taken care of her over the years when she was abandoned by her own mother. They'd made sure she was, like Guido said, happy, healthy and safe. They'd been endlessly supportive after the accident and the thousand other times that she needed them. So, if there was one thing she could do for them now, she guessed it would be to give up racing.

But was that really what she wanted?

The answer was no. Of course not. How could she ever give up racing? How could she ever _want_ to give up racing? Heck, even _Doc_ hadn't wanted to right after his crash. Yet, he was forced to. And so was she.

Still, if that was what her family wanted, she would just have to suck it up.

* * *

Well, that was the plan. However, a couple of days later, she went to one of Lightning's races. There she stood on the crew chief platform, with her excellent view of the track.

"All right, Keep climbing through", she instructed Lightning. "Don't force it. It's still early days."

" _Got it!_ " he confirmed.

That was when the racers came past. They were moving at two hundred miles an hour, all gunning forward, weaving past the competition, each determined to be the best. _That_ was what Fudge missed about racing! She loved the thrill of speed and the excitement and the challenge of the competition. Sure, she could experience the excitement from the platform where she stood, but it wasn't as good as the real thing. Not by a long shot.

There was only one rider in the Piston Cup. His name was Leighton Arnold and he raced with Parker Brakeston, number 68 for N20 Cola. Fudge felt jealous, watching Leighton ride around with Parker as he moved at two hundred miles an hour, climbing through the pack. She couldn't hear what he was saying to Parker, but Fudge knew Leighton was giving him racing advice. That was his job, after all. Sure, Fudge got to give Lightning advice, but it was a lot more fun to do it on the track than the pits. Fudge knew that she belonged on the track. It was calling her.

A thought crept into her mind. She should try racing again!

 _No!_ she told herself. _I can't! I promised my family!_

The fourteen-year-old tried to expel the thought from her mind, but it would always claw its way back in. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to. It wasn't at all like her to disobey her family, especially not on something as big as this, but racing was all she wanted to do. Why couldn't anybody see that? The more she thought about _that_ , the angrier she got. As the racers came past again, Fudge closed her eyes for a brief moment, imagining that she was one of them. She was up on Lightning's roof, moving at two hundred miles an hour. She grinned to herself, knowing that she really wanted to feel that rush.

Fudge didn't care what anybody said. She was gonna race again!

* * *

Deciding that she would race again was easy for Fudge. Deciding _how_ was the challenge. There was no chance Lightning was going to say yes if she asked him, so there was no point in trying. Could she ask one of the racers to take her for a couple of laps? Not without Lightning- or anybody else- noticing, she realised ruefully.

 _Maybe there's some kind of junior racing league I could join_. Fudge opened up Google to find out. She found several in the city that looked pretty cool, but how could she get there? She knew that there was a train from Ashgrove to the city, but Ashgrove was two and a half hours away. She'd need a ride there.

 _Let's just see what I have to do to join_ , Fudge told herself, clicking on the sign up links. _I can figure things out once I get in._ She was quite convinced that she could quite easily get into one; a junior racing league would love to get hold of a protégé of Lightning McQueen and the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. No matter how good- or not so good- she was.

Unfortunately, in order to sign up for all of them, you needed to email them with an expression of interest and then they would send you a sign up form, which, of course, required the signature of a parent or guardian. Typical. Fudge may have been feeling a bit rebellious when it came to racing, but she wasn't going to break the law and forge their signatures. She was just going to have to come up with something else.

Fudge sighed as she deleted the pages from her Internet history (she didn't know if Guido and Luigi knew how to look at her Internet history, but she didn't want to take the risk). It shouldn't be this hard, should it? Wasn't there _anything_ she could do? There _had_ to be _some_ way she could keep racing.

That's when it came to Fudge. It was so simple she couldn't believe she didn't think of it before. She made her way downstairs and listened carefully. Guido and Luigi were busy with a customer, who wanted to know what the best tyres would be for the Arizona desert and if he should buy a spare yet or if he should wait. Good. They weren't paying any attention to her. She went out the side door to what was a garage/workshop of sorts. There were the wooden beams where Guido practised tyre changes when they were no customers in town. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of tools. There was the reason Fudge had come into the garage.

Her Fudge-mobile! That was what everyone called it. It was kind of like a go-kart that Fudge had created, so that she could race on her own when Doc and Lightning were too busy for her. It didn't have an engine, but it _did_ have pedals, a steering wheel and racing tyres. It couldn't go as fast as a race car, but it sure was fun. She more or less made the entire thing herself when she was eight. Of course, she had had to make adjustments between then and now. She would especially tinker with it after she recovered from the accident. It was one of her many ways of showing that she was getting better. So, nobody would find it unusual to find her making the adjustments she was now. She was getting it ready to carry her again.

Nodding in satisfaction, Fudge was about to take it out when she heard Luigi calling her.

She suppressed a groan. "Coming!" she called, making her way into the store reluctantly.

"Oh!" Luigi exclaimed when she appeared. "There you are! I thought you were in your room! Are you ready to go over to Flo's?"

"Yeah. Just let me put this wrench away." Fudge had just realised she was still holding her wrench. For her eighth birthday, one of the things she wanted was a wrench of her very own. So, she got the one in her hand. That was a very special wrench to Fudge and she'd even named it! Its name was Violet (the name Fudge happened to like that week).

"Have you been working on your Fudge-mobile?" Luigi questioned, calling out to her as she walked off.

"Yeah!"

"What have you been doing to it?"

"Not much", she answered. "Just a couple of things to make sure I- or anybody else", she added hurriedly, "can use it."

Luigi nodded, not thinking anything of it. "Okay."

* * *

Fudge didn't get the chance to use the Fudge-mobile that day. After dinner, she helped Flo with the dishes and by then, she was pretty tired. She got tired easily because of all the medication she'd been on. So, she watched TV with Guido and Luigi for a little while before she went to bed.

The next morning, though, after having breakfast and doing dishes, she was ready to go. She smuggled her helmet into her backpack and began towing the Fudge-mobile out of town. Red stopped her on the way, glancing up from watering the flowers to find her on her way out of town.

"Where are you going?" he quizzed her curiously.

"I'm just gonna... explore the woods", Fudge answered. "I thought I might find some interesting stuff to bring back. Last time, I found that rock that looks like Sheriff and a whole heap of pretty rocks. If I find lots, I can bring them back in the Fudge-mobile."

Red had no reason to question this. Fudge had done it before. So, he just smiled and went back to the flowers. Fudge ran past with her go-kart.

As the teen made her way towards the woods, she began to feel guilty. Her conversation with Red had abruptly stirred up feelings of guilt.

 _Don't worry about it_ , she told herself. _You haven't exactly lied to him. You_ will _explore the woods._

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling.

* * *

Hardly any of the Radiator Springs residents went into this section of the woods where the big hill was. Normally, it was overrun with teenagers who were up to no good. That was the way it had been since the town returned to the map. The teenagers used to scared Fudge and tell her to go away because she was too young. That was one of the reasons it had taken her so long to master the courage to ride down the big hill when she was nine (that, and it was a big hill, so she was scared of that). Now that she was a teenager herself, they still didn't like her and she was still scared of them, but they tended to ignore her.

Fudge grinned as she placed the Fudge-mobile at the edge of the hilltop. It was a long way down, but maybe then, she could get her speed up. She took a quick look around, making sure there was nobody around. She didn't care how dangerous racing was in that moment; her only concern was getting caught. Not a soul was to be seen, not even other teenagers. Elated, she got her helmet out of her backpack, put it on and slipped into the driver's seat.

She took a deep breath, eyeing the bottom of the hill in the distance. Not only was it a big hill, but the track that cut through the grass and rocks wound round, so she could even make turns. Totally awesome! Not wanting to think about it anymore, Fudge pushed off the big hill.

The fourteen-year-old couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she zoomed down and curved with the track. Oh, how she'd missed this! That rush of adrenaline she only got when she was racing. Sure, she wasn't moving at two hundred miles an hour, but this was enough to satisfy her need for speed for now.

"Whoo-hoo!" she couldn't help whooping as she swung her steering wheel to the right to make it around a turn. She slapped the steering wheel in great glee. "Yeah!"

When she came to a stop just before a small pond, Fudge punched the air with a huge grin. She'd done it! She could still race! She knew that. If only Lightning would let her.

She shook her head, not wanting to think about that. Maybe Lightning will come around. For now, though, she had more work to do. She towed her Fudge-mobile back in the direction she had come and began the climb back up the hill.

* * *

For the next two weeks, Fudge didn't go to the big hill every day, but almost every day. Just the days where she found the chance to slip off with nobody wondering where she was going. Of course, there were occasions where they would ask, but nobody seemed to think anything of Fudge saying she went into the woods. For the most part.

"Why do you keep going into the woods nearly every day?" Sally wondered one day.

"'Cause it's fun!" the human girl explained, which was true. "Sometimes, I look to see if I can find anything cool!"

Sally laughed. "Well, at least you've got something to do besides racing."

"Yeah..." Fudge agreed, trying not to let her discomfort show.

She did have some close calls. One time, just as she was finishing up a run, she heard the sound of engines approaching. The human girl hurried to climb out of her Fudge-mobile and crept behind a nearby tree to see who it was. There was Sally and, even worse, Lightning! Fudge pushed the Fudge-mobile to hide it amongst the trees and bushes. After a brief pause, she nearly had a heart attack and realised she needed to ditch the helmet too. So, that went into the bushes too.

Lightning froze as he heard some rustling. "What was that?"

"Probably just an animal", Sally replied, not at all concerned.

"I guess so..."

Fudge hid behind a tree, hoping they wouldn't see her. Thankfully, the tree was very tall and thick (she couldn't wrap her arms all the way around it, so she would probably stay hidden). She watched carefully as the two cars drove off. It looked like they were heading towards the Wheel Well. Sighing with relief, Fudge made a beeline towards the bushes when they were gone.

All of a sudden, Lightning's eyes widened.

"What is it?" Sally quizzed him.

"I forgot my phone!"

"Do you really need your phone?"

"I'm expecting a call from Rusty and Dusty later."

Sally sighed. "All right. Let's go and get it."

So, they went back, only to see Fudge digging through some bushes.

"Fudge!" Lightning called out.

The teenager jumped as she turned around, trying to hide the Fudge-mobile with her body and some bushes.

"What are you doing?"

"Just... looking for something."

"What?" Sally wanted to know.

Fudge crouched down, digging through the bushes, trying to find something interesting, but also not giving away that she was using the Fudge-mobile for racing. Finally, she held something up. "This rock! Look how shiny and smooth it is!" She was quiet for a moment before adding, "I found it earlier, but then I dropped it."

There was a pause as everyone figured out what to say or do next.

"Sally?" Lightning piped up. "We should probably go."

"Right!" Sally realised, driving off with Lightning.

"Where are you going?" Fudge wondered.

"We're going to the Wheel Well", Sally answered. "Stickers just forgot his phone."

Fudge froze. "All right."

As they drove off, Fudge began the climb to the top of the hill. She'd have to wait ten, fifteen minutes to make sure they'd gone past.

"That was a close one", she murmured to herself.

* * *

"Stickers?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you noticed anything odd about Fudge lately?"

Lightning looked his girlfriend's way. "What do you mean?"

"Lately, when she's talking to me, I get the feeling, she's not being... quite honest", Sally explained.

"You really think so?" Lightning asked.

"You haven't noticed? Fudge is not exactly a great liar."

"She's a teenager", Lightning pointed out. "All teenagers want to have _some_ secrets from their parents."

"But we're not Fudge's parents", Sally reminded him.

"Maybe she thinks we'd tell Guido and Luigi if we knew", Lightning suggested.

Sally laughed. "I suppose that's true. Still, it's not like Fudge to hide stuff from us."

* * *

There was another close call a few days later. Fudge was riding down the hill, hollering and cheering with delight, as she often did. There was a turn coming up and Fudge knew how to turn. However, this time, she overcorrected and lost control. She skidded off the track and tried her best to stop. It was no good, though. She collided side-on with a tree.

"Ow!" she cried as pain surged in her arm and head.

The fourteen-year-old checked herself over, to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Her arm looked a little scraped up and she realised that there was blood tricking down her forehead.

"Great!" she groaned. Guido and Luigi were gonna kill her.

When she arrived at Flo's, her fathers were quick to see her forehead.

"Fudgie!" Luigi exclaimed. He babbled in Italian, kissing her face all over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she assured him hurriedly.

"What happened?" Luigi wanted to know.

"I wasn't looking where I was going and I ran into a tree", Fudge answered with a pang of guilt. _That's not exactly a lie. Stop feeling so guilty!_ _You haven't lied to anybody._

"Well, you have to be more careful", Luigi informed her.

Fudge nodded. "Yeah, I'll be more careful."

* * *

Fudge had her scrapes and bruises washed and a Band-Aid slapped on her forehead. Any other time she went back up that hill, Luigi's words rang in her head. She was going to have to be careful. You'd think she'd have stopped going, but she couldn't. In fact, after a few weeks, she was ready for something else, the thing she wanted all along. Finally, she got the chance.

* * *

Cal Weathers came to town to visit Lightning. Fudge realised that this could be her chance. If she could get away with it. For the first couple of days, she would watch the two race down by Willy's Butte and waited patiently for a chance to come. She got one on the fifth day.

"Hi!" she greeted Cal when she arrived down at Willy's Butte. "Where's Lightning?"

"At home", Cal replied. "Sally said he has to do paperwork he's left as usual."

"Oh."

An idea came to Fudge at that moment. For a brief moment, she looked horrified. How could such a thought enter her mind? Before she could think about how horrible it was any further, Cal distracted her.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine", she assured him.

"You look worried about something."

"No, no!" Fudge replied. "I was just thinking..." She trailed off, unsure if she could continue.

"Yeah?" Cal prompted.

"Do you think... you could take me for a few laps?"

Cal hesitated. "I don't know, Fudge. I'm not sure McQueen wants you racing."

"It's fine!" the teenager insisted. "Really! Lightning just doesn't want to take me himself because of..." For the first time during her whole rebellious racing saga, she told a flat-out lie. She would tell him the truth once they'd finished racing.

Cal nodded slowly. "I can understand that."

"I'll be right back!" Fudge cried before the blue race car could say no. "I'll grab my racing stuff!"

She sprinted back home and grabbed the backpack, containing her helmet and her magnets (she almost always had her magnets nearby, regardless of whether she was racing or just riding on a car's roof). Luigi and Guido were too busy with customers to pay any attention to her. Then she sprinted back to Willy's Butte to leap onto Cal's roof.

"You ready?" he quizzed the human girl.

"Yeah!" she cried.

So, Cal Weathers revved his engine and raced around the track with Fudge on his roof.

Normally, Fudge would be calling out tips to Lightning or whichever racer was letting her ride with them. This time, however, she was just so thrilled to be racing again that all she could do was laugh and smile and holler in delight. Cal laughed too. He knew it had been a long time since she'd been racing and could understand why it would make her happy.

"Yeah!" she shrieked excitedly as Cal drifted around a turn.

Fudge was too busy laughing and having the time of her life that she hadn't seen who was approaching.

* * *

At least not until Cal stopped to greet him.

"Hey, McQueen!" he called out.

Fudge's heart sank. She slid off Cal's roof quickly, hoping that he wouldn't see her.

Lightning wasn't fooled for one second. His blue eyes became clouded with tears as he spoke. "Fudge? What are you doing?"

The human girl was completely and utterly speechless. She felt terrible as her brother choked up.

"You _know_ I don't want you racing anymore! I can't believe you would..."

Cal turned to Fudge. "You told me it was okay!"

"She did, did she?!" Lightning's voice was rising.

The two race cars glared at Fudge, who was still unable to speak.

"I'm so sorry, McQueen", Cal offered. "If I knew, I never would've-"

"I know", Lightning interrupted. "Fudge is the one I'm mad at."

Fudge was near tears.

To make matters worse, two teenage girls- a red forklift and a dark-haired human- approached with the keychain that had fallen off Fudge's backpack. When Fudge took it, still too shocked to speak, the human asked a question that made things even worse for Fudge.

"We saw you race that go-kart down the hill! How did you do that?!"

" ** _WHAT_?!**" Lightning exploded.

The two teens looked at each other nervously before running away. There was a moment of silence amongst the other three.

Finally, Lightning sighed. "I'm taking you home!" he informed the human girl, trying to keep his voice steady. "And Cal and I are gonna tell your parents everything! You're gonna get in so much trouble, but you've really asked for it! I can't believe you would do something like this!"

"Thanks a lot!" she snarled at Cal as Lightning grabbed her wrist and led her away.

"Don't blame Cal!" Lightning yelled at her. "This is entirely your own fault!"

* * *

Guido and Luigi were outside Casa Della Tires, setting up a new tyre display when Lightning, Cal and Fudge appeared.

"You guys aren't busy, are you? We need to talk to you."

Luigi turned around. "Yes. Of course. You need new tyres?"

"Not this time."

Lightning and Cal recounted the story of Fudge's racing and what the other teenagers had told them. The two Italians just listened in disbelief without a word.

Luigi eyed his daughter sharply at the end of all this. "Is this true?!"

"Yes", she admitted meekly. "I'm sorry."

"(You should be!)" Guido piped up sternly. "(I am very disappointed in you!)"

"We both are!" Luigi added just as sternly. His voice grew louder too. "Brittney Rossi-Topolino, how could you do such a deceitful thing?! You have disobeyed us, you have put yourself in danger, you have lied to us _and_ you have used Cal!"

The fourteen-year-old flinched. She hadn't realised that she'd used Cal. She hated it when people used her and now, she'd done the same thing to someone without even realising it. How could she have done this?

Luigi and Guido yelled at their daughter for ten minutes, tossing around words like _selfish_ , _dangerous_ , _inconsiderate_ , _foolish_.

Finally, Luigi ordered her, "Go to your room! Stay in there, don't touch anything and just _think_ about what you have done! We will decide what we are going to do with you later!"

Not daring to argue, Fudge marched up to her room, flung herself down on the bed and dissolved into tears.

* * *

"You all right, McQueen?" Cal questioned as they drove away from Casa Della Tires.

The red stock car took a shaky deep breath. "Yeah... Yeah. I'm just a little upset about the whole thing with Fudge. It's just... hard for me to see her racing after..."

Cal nodded. "I know. I wish I hadn't-"

"It's not your fault", Lightning assured him. "Fudge lied to you."

"But I should've known!" Cal insisted. "I remember how hard it was for you to start racing yourself."

* * *

 _"Speed", Lightning McQueen whispered to himself, trying to fix his mind solely on the race. "I... am... speed."_

 _Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see were flashes of lightning and Fudge flying off his roof. He could see her lying on the track, all bloody and bruised. He wondered why he decided to come to this race at all. He'd told the others that he needed the distraction with Fudge still in the coma. Now, he wasn't convinced he could do this when he felt this way._

 _Bang, bang, bang!_

 _"Hey, Lightning!" Mack called out. "You ready?"_

 _"What? Yeah... Yeah... I guess..." Lightning did not sound ready at all._

 _"You know, it's still not too late to back out", Mack reminded him._

 _"I know... I... I wanna do this."_

 _Mack didn't believe him for one second, but even so... "All right... As long as you're sure..."_

 _"Yeah..."_ All right! _Lightning practically ordered himself._ It's obvious you're not gonna stop thinking about Fudge! So, use that! Win for her!

 _So, Lightning lined up at the starting line. He hadn't shown up to the qualifier with everything going on. The nervous race car drove at the back of the pack, thinking,_ Do this for Fudge, do this for Fudge, do this for Fudge! _He tried to banish any other thoughts, especially thoughts of Fudge lying crumpled on the track, from his mind._

 _However, he was so focused on that, it meant he almost completely missed the waving of the green flag._

 _"Dammit!" he groaned in disbelief, having a flashback to the 2006 tiebreaker race in Los Angeles._

 _After about twenty laps, Lightning had gotten no further than the middle of the pack. It was so hard to get into this race when not only was he worried about Fudge, but nearly every time he went around a corner, he felt the urge to stop. He kept thinking he needed to go back and help Fudge._

 _"Come on, Lightning!" he whispered to himself out loud as he fought the urge to go back. "Try not to think about Fudge! Just win this race for her and then you can go home! Just focus on the race, focus on the race, focus on the race!"_

 _That was the plan, but the twenty-fourth lap had other plans for him. A young race car clipped the wall hard, causing him to spin out. Another car smashed into him. Then another. Then another. Before long, there was a monster pileup. Twelve cars stacked up on top of each other. The other racers managed to come to a stop. All except one, that is._

 _"_ Lightnin'! _" Mack radioed in a panic, seeing that he wasn't slowing down. "_ Look out! _"_

 _Lightning snapped out of his shocked state just enough to slow down before the wreck._

 _The yellow flag came out and most of the racers made their way to the pits. Not Lightning, though. He appeared to be paralysed in shock with wide eyes and heavy breathing, having a flashback to Fudge's accident._

 _"Hey, McQueen!" Cal called out, concerned. "You all right?"_

 _Lightning was brought back to Earth by his friend's voice. "What? Oh! Yeah... Yeah... I'm fine."_

 _But he wasn't. He wasn't fine at all. Everything that had happened in this race was reminding him of Fudge and what had happened to her. How could he keep going like this?_

 _"_ Lightning?! _" Mack's voice called through the radio. "_ Earth to Lightning! _"_

 _"Whoa!" Once again, Lightning had been distracted by thoughts of Fudge that he had almost rode right past his pits. Slowly, he came back._

 _"We need tyres now!" a forklift shouted (with everyone else worried about Fudge, Rusty and Dusty had gotten a temporary pit crew for Lightning). "Come on! Let's go!"_

 _"No!" the stock car argued. "No tyres!"_

 _"What?! You need tyres, you idiot!" This was why the pitties were reluctant to work with Lightning; they'd heard about him doing this when he was a rookie._

 _"Not if I don't go back out there!" McQueen countered. "Which I'm not!"_

 _"What?! What do you mean you're not going back out there?!" his temporary pit crew asked incredulously._

 _"I mean I'm not going back out there!" Lightning repeated. "You saw how I was going out there! All I can think about is..." He trailed off, sobbing. Without another word, he rolled off out of the stadium. He could vaguely recall the announcer's surprised words._

 _"_ Well, I have never seen this before! I think this must be a Piston Cup first! Lightning McQueen has just left the race! _"_

"I don't believe what I'm seein'! _"_

 _"_ We are not sure if McQueen is planning on returning. Let's go to Shannon Spokes, who is trackside, for more information. _"_

 _"_ That's right, Bob. Lightning McQueen has just left the stadium. He has not commented to anyone on the reason behind this, but he appears to be very emotional and we believe that it has something to do with his cheerleader, Fudge Rossi-Topolino."

 _Lightning didn't even think about it. He just headed in the direction of the airport (well, Mack caught up to him on the way there and gave him a ride) and headed home, blurred with tears._

* * *

"Yeah, it was pretty hard", Lightning admitted, sobs starting to escape from him. "And Fudge doesn't seem to care. I just... I know she wants to keep racing and I guess I can kind of understand that, but I can't let her after..." He took another deep breath as he cried some more. "Until today, I thought that... even if she didn't like it, at least she could _understand_! Now, I really don't think she does!"

Cal nodded understandingly. "Yeah."

* * *

Needless to say, Fudge was in trouble. Big time. She spent most of the day in her bedroom, crying and hitting herself. She was upset that she'd hurt a lot of people and angry at herself.

Nobody came to see her for the most part. Luigi did come in once, though.

"Have you taken your medication?" he quizzed her.

"No", she muttered.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve it."

Luigi sighed. Fudge was often overly dramatic when she was in trouble and launched into the self-loathing mode. "Don't be silly, Fudge. Go and take your medication."

So, she did.

"Have you done it?" Luigi quizzed her when he saw her on her way back to her bedroom.

"Yeah."

" _Yes_ ", he corrected her sternly. Normally, Luigi didn't mind her saying _yeah_ , but sometimes, when she was in trouble, he'd find any excuse to have extra ammunition.

"Yes", the teen echoed and went back to her room.

* * *

A few hours later, Luigi came into Fudge's room.

"Come downstairs", he ordered her quietly. "I have something for you to do before you have dinner."

Still sobbing a little, Fudge stood up from her bed and followed Luigi without a word. Without a word himself, Luigi gestured for her to sit down at the kitchen table where Fudge found several sheets of paper and a pen waiting for her.

"You are going to write four letters", he informed her. "You are going to write me, Guido, McQueen and Cal letters of apology." When Fudge didn't say anything, he added, "Okay?"

"Yeah... I mean, yes."

Fudge got to work, apologising over and over again for her actions, using the words Luigi and Guido had used when they were yelling at her. She pointed out how it wasn't fair to anybody, not even her and promising that she would never do such a stupid and terrible thing again.

"Are you finished?" Luigi questioned when Fudge put her pen down and stretched her hand.

"Yes."

"Which one is mine?"

Fudge handed it over. "This one."

Luigi read it and nodded, satisfied. "Thank you, Fudge."

"I really am sorry!" she insisted.

Luigi sighed. He knew his daughter. She was genuinely ashamed of what she had done. "I know you are. But I am still going to punish you because I want to make sure you will never do this again."

Fudge nodded as more tears filled her eyes. "Okay..."

The Fiat sighed again. "You are grounded", he began, "for one month. You may go over to Flo's for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you may only leave this store if you are with someone _and_ Guido or I approve. You will not go into the woods or to Willy's Butte under _any_ circumstance."

He paused and the last thing was the biggest blow for Fudge.

"And you will not be going to races. In fact, I am not sure if you should still be the crew chief anymore. Racing is not the best thing for you right now. Besides, I am not convinced you are ready for the responsibility."

Fudge's sobs grew louder, but she knew better than to protest. No more racing? How could they do this to her? It just wasn't fair! This was all Lightning's fault, she decided. None of this would've happened if he'd never gotten her into that accident!

"I don't want you getting too upset about this, Fudge", Luigi went on in a neutral tone. "You are not a bad girl. You have just made some very bad decisions these last few weeks. And I want you to take responsibility for them."

The fourteen-year-old just nodded.

Another sigh came from Luigi. "Let's go have dinner."

* * *

Fudge had always loved living in the small-town-close-community atmosphere of Radiator Springs. Although, there was a downside: Every time she got into trouble, _everyone_ knew about it. Even though Guido and Luigi were legally her parents, every single resident of Radiator Springs felt the responsibility of taking care of Fudge and making sure she was raised right. And it was a responsibility all of them took very seriously, even childlike Mater. So, when she arrived at Flo's that night, everyone had something to say to her.

"This isn't like you, soldier!" Sarge scolded her. "We thought you knew better than to do something so foolish!"

"We are all very disappointed in you", Flo added.

"What would we have been supposed to do if you got hurt again?!" Sheriff demanded.

"Nobody's benefitted from this!" Sally informed her. "Not even you!"

Even Mater contributed. "I can't believe you would upset my best buddy like that!"

Fudge didn't answer any of them. She just handed out the letters of apology she'd written and _said_ sorry too. Guido just nodded and thanked her. Cal, of course, didn't condone Fudge's actions, but he didn't seem too upset by them. Lightning just stared at her with an unreadable expression before his eyes filled with tears.

After the letters, there was a long silence. Nobody really knew what to say. There was no point in going on and on at Fudge, but there didn't seem to be anything else to talk about.

Finally, Flo sighed. "Go wash up for dinner, Fudge", she instructed, barely looking at the girl and not using the usual _honey_ or _sweet pea_.

Fudge went. The others had already eaten when she was still in her room, thinking, but there was still some soup left for her.

The soup Flo made was delicious, but Fudge wasn't very hungry. Besides, it wasn't easy to do anything when everyone was giving her hard glares, but pretending they weren't. Nobody was saying anything for most of the meal.

"You okay, Stickers?" Sally asked with concern at one point.

"Yeah..." he responded quietly. "Yeah, I'm all right."

"You sure?"

"Well... I guess I am still a little upset about what Fudge did, but I'm fine. Really."

Fudge tried to ignore them and just force down some soup.

* * *

So, the longest month of Fudge's life began. That month of being grounded was jam-packed with a long list of the worst chores imaginable. It was never explicitly stated that she couldn't watch TV or do anything fun while she was grounded, but they kept her so busy that she didn't have time for that anyway.

On top of that, Lightning was still mad at her. He would barely look at her and whenever he did, his eyes were just filled with sadness. Fudge tried to apologise, but it was like talking to a wall. If he ever were to give a response, it would be, "You don't get it, do you, Fudge?"

"I _do_ get it!"

"No you don't! If you got it, you never would've done it in the first place!"

"I get it now!"

"I doubt it!" he sneered.

"Well, then explain it to me!"

"Why should I?!" Lightning countered. "You obviously don't care!"

Fudge's eyes swam with tears. "I _do_ care! I'm sorry! I feel terrible! I'm _sorry_!"

Lightning shook his hood and drove off.

Fudge started crying.

* * *

What really sucked for Fudge was the no races. She was allowed to _watch_ the races as the others didn't feel they could really keep her away, but her being trackside was still in jeopardy. Luckily, Lightning and the others didn't go into detail about where she was. (Luigi had insisted on not embarrassing Fudge by announcing on national TV that she was grounded; Lightning thought she'd brought the embarrassment on herself, but said nothing.)

Fudge was quiet during the races. Normally, just watching a race filled her with excitement, but not this time. She just felt depressed. That wasn't entirely abnormal for her. She'd been quite depressed since the accident, but still, racing used to make her feel a little bit better. It probably didn't work this time because she was still ashamed of racing herself. Besides, she was upset about the fact that soon, she may not be able to attend again.

* * *

One time, she gathered up the courage to speak to Lightning about it.

"You _really think_ I should trust you to be my crew chief again?!" he asked incredulously.

"Yes", Fudge replied quietly.

"Why?"

Fudge couldn't come up with an answer. Not a good one, anyway. _Because I still love racing_ or _because I want you to_ just sounded selfish.

After about thirty seconds of silence, Lightning scoffed in disgust. "Get out!" he ordered her.

Fudge was just going to have to face it: any chance of having any role she could possibly have in the world of racing, be it a rider or a crew chief, had gone out the window. And she had nobody to blame but herself.

* * *

"Sally?" Fudge began that afternoon while the Porsche had the teen help her prepare rooms for the motel guests.

"Yes, Fudge?"

"Did you always want to be a lawyer?"

"Most of my life", she confirmed.

"What made you decide you wanted to be a lawyer?"

"I just thought it would be something I'd be good at. Everyone always told me I was quite intelligent and public speaking never really bothered me. Then, when I got a bit older, I started studying law and I found it interested me."

"What career should I have when I'm older?" Fudge wanted to know. "What do you think I'd be good at?"

"I don't know", Sally answered. "I think that's something you have to answer for yourself."

"Oh. Okay."

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know what I should do. I mean, I always thought I knew where I was heading with the whole racing thing-"

"You're not gonna even be crew chief anymore?"

Fudge shook her head. "Lightning doesn't want me to. Neither do Guido and Luigi." She tried to fight the tears as she added, "I know I did a horrible thing, but I don't want Lightning to hate me!"

"He doesn't hate you", Sally informed her.

"Yes he does!" Fudge insisted, swallowing hard. "He's gonna hate me forever!" She took a deep breath. "I like writing. Maybe I could do something with that."

Sally nodded and she and Fudge continued to sort out the rooms without another word.

* * *

"You have to talk to Fudge", was the way Sally greeted Lightning later that evening.

He looked her way in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"You have to talk to Fudge", she repeated.

"Why?" he wondered.

"Because she feels really bad about what she's done."

"She should!" Lightning insisted. "She _knew_ how I felt about her racing and she did it anyway!"

"I know", Sally assured him. "And there's no excuse for that."

"And she doesn't even care!" Lightning reinforced.

"She cares a lot", Sally corrected her boyfriend. She sighed. "She thinks you hate her."

Lightning stopped and thought about that. "I don't hate her", he responded quietly.

"Well, you're gonna have to tell her that."

* * *

The next morning, Fudge's last day of being grounded, the fourteen-year-old was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen at Flo's. She had to do washing up, dusting and wiping shelves and surfaces, sweeping and mopping the floor, cleaning the oven and even polishing the silverware. She was doing the latter, silent and depressed, when Lightning came in.

"Hey", he greeted her.

Fudge turned to face him, dropping the items in her hand. "You really mean that?"

He chuckled at her response. "Sure." He parked beside her.

"Look, I really am sorry-" Fudge began.

Lightning nodded. "I know. I just wanna make sure you _understand_ why I was so upset."

The human girl nodded seriously. "I do. I really do."

"I know", Lightning repeated. "And I don't hate you. It's because I love you that I got so upset."

Fudge's eyes softened. "Really?"

"Of course. You know I love you and wanna protect you. You're my baby sister." Lightning came closer and kissed her on the forehead. "It's just... you're just gonna have to admire racing from afar now. You're not going on the track again."

"I know." She paused. "Wait. Does this mean... Am I still gonna be your crew chief or not?"

Lightning sighed. "I haven't decided yet", he informed her. "And I'm gonna have to talk to Guido and Luigi about it."

Well, that made sense. "Okay."

* * *

For the next few days, Fudge tried not to get her hopes up. She was allowed to go off on her own once again, but didn't really have anywhere to go. She could still go to the woods or Willy's Butte, but she didn't feel like going to either of those places so soon. So, she stuck around town, trying not to think about what Lightning, Luigi and Guido would decide. That would only drive her crazy. Still, she couldn't help thinking about something else, which drove her even more crazy. What should she do with her life if- _when_ , she thought, convinced that's what the answer would be- they said no? She could be an author. Or she could work in the stores around town. After all, she wanted to stay around town anyway. If anybody needed a helping hand, she could-

"Fudge!" Lightning called out.

She turned around. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing? We have work to do!"

"I'm not grounded anymore", Fudge reminded him. She wanted to enjoy her first day of freedom.

"Exactly! Which means you can come with me to Willy's Butte."

"What for?" Fudge wondered. She thought she knew, but she didn't want to assume.

Lightning rolled his eyes. "What do you mean _what for_ , you goose? I got a race comin' up and I'll need my crew chief to help me get ready for it!"

Fudge's eyes widened. "You mean..."

Lightning nodded as Luigi and Guido pulled up behind him. "Yep. Luigi, Guido and I talked and we agreed you can still be my crew chief on two conditions."

"Two conditions?" Fudge repeated. "Okay."

"One", Luigi began, "you will never lie to us again."

"I won't!" Fudge promised sincerely. "I will never lie to you guys again for as long as I live!"

"And two", Lightning went on, "you never go racing again. You're just gonna have to accept the fact that you're just the crew chief. You're not a racer."

"I will!" she cried. "I will! I promise!" She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but she knew it really was for the best.

"And we know you are going to keep those promises", Luigi assured her.

Fudge just nodded.

"So." Lightning grinned at her. "You ready to help me train?"

The human girl laughed. "Of course I'm ready! I've missed racing!" She stopped and corrected herself. "I mean, being a part of it." No. That didn't sound right either. "I mean..."

Lightning laughed. "I know what you meant, Fudge!"

As she ran after Lightning in the direction of Willy's Butte, Fudge smiled. It sucked, knowing that she would never race again, but for now, she was just going to enjoy being the crew chief again. It was better than no part of racing at all. Much better.

 **Holy crap! That was a long story! Still, the ending felt kind of rushed to me, but I had no ideas on how to fix it. I wasn't at all sure how to end it.**

 **The next oneshot still needs to be written and there is a massive reveal. It's actually revealed in _Ride_ , but I have to do it in a different format in the oneshot as it would contain _Ride_ spoilers, but it's a reveal I've been wanting to make for a _very_ long time (nearly two years!), so I hope you're as excited as I am!**

 **Please review!**


	19. Guns and Roses: Part 1

**Oh, boy! This is something I've been wanting to reveal to you guys for a _very_ long time! Now, I'm going to.**

 **Now, the discovery made actually happens in _Ride_ , but since I can't update that, I decided to create something so you know about it, as it comes up in _Driven to Win_.**

 **I feel I should warn you of four things:**

 **1\. This story does have some violent themes in the first half.**

 **2\. It's pretty long.**

 **3\. I've never written anything like this before (especially the violent scenes), so if it comes across as... off, then that's why. Like I've said in the past, I feel like the way I improve is by continuing to write.**

 **4\. This story focuses primarily on OCs, but I didn't know how to make it work if I didn't. There are some canon character moments, but not many.**

 **You have been warned.**

 **Guns and Roses**

 **Part 1**

December 1999

Sammy loved the winters in New York. She loved the snow, she loved seeing all the Christmas displays in all of the stores and she loved the big tree in Rockefeller Center. She loved the fact that Christmas was right around the corner. The ten-year-old had walked past an electronics store on her way home from her last karate class of the year, dreaming of something cool to play her music on. Maybe she could get something for Christmas.

Maybe her dad would be home for the holidays.

Sammy's father was hardly ever home. He was a high-up man in an IT company, so he travelled a lot. Sammy, her mother and four-year-old brother had lost count of how many birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries and other milestones he'd missed. To be honest, Sammy wasn't sure if it was better if he was at home or if he was away. It was never fun, having an absent dad, but whenever he _was_ home, all he and her mother would do is argue about his never being there. All she wanted was a peaceful Christmas with her family: her, her mother and father and her little brother. And their unwanted house guest was gone.

"Please be nice to her, Samantha", her mother told her on several occasions. "Things have been really hard on Dawn lately."

That was true. Sammy knew things had been really hard on her mother's old friend, Dawn Hathaway, the last few years. Her children (a nine-year-old girl and a ten-year-old boy) had been killed in a fire, her marriage had ended and she'd spent two years in jail for assaulting a police officer. None of that, however, changed the fact that Sammy didn't like her at all. Though she was nice to the entire Rose family, there was just something about her that made her seem off to the ten-year-old. Maybe it was the fact that she'd been to jail for assault.

"She made a _mistake_ , Samantha", her mother insisted. "It happens to everyone. She just wants to create a better life for herself. And we're going to help her create that better life."

Even so, it came across to Sammy that she had overstayed her welcome. She'd been sleeping on the couch in their apartment for nearly six months now and Sammy was beginning to fear that Dawn was becoming part of the family. If that wasn't bad enough, Dawn had recently announced that she was pregnant. She wouldn't say who the father was, but Sammy didn't care. It was bad enough having a four-going-on-five-year-old brother, but a _baby_?! A dirty, smelly, noisy baby?! Sammy could only hope that Dawn would create a better life for herself in the next few months.

Sighing, Sammy opened the apartment door, praying that Dawn would be out somewhere, anywhere.

"Annabelle?" a familiar voice called out. "Is that you?"

No such luck. (Annabelle was Sammy's mother's name.)

"No", the ten-year-old replied as she entered the apartment to find Dawn in the kitchen, making chili. "It's me."

"Oh! Hi, Samantha. How was karate?"

"It's Sammy. And karate was good. I got to demonstrate some moves to the rest of the class 'cause I'm one of the best ones." The only reason she bothered to answer the question was because her mother was always saying she should get to know Dawn. "Everyone thinks I'm gonna win the big tournament next year."

"That's fantastic!" Dawn responded. "I'm sure you will too. You'll make us all very proud."

"Yeah. Sure", Sammy muttered, biting into a cookie. _Us_? Dawn wasn't part of the family, though she sure was acting like she was.

Like now, instructing Sammy, "Don't eat too many cookies. You'll spoil your appetite. I'm making a very nice dinner for us all." As if she were her mother! Speaking of...

"Where's Mom?"

"She went out to take your brother shopping for new shoes and then I think she wanted to get groceries", Dawn replied, turning back to the stove. "She said she'd be back by now, but you know how busy stores can be this time of year."

Sammy grinned. "Yeah, I can't wait for Christmas to get here."

"Me neither." Dawn smiled. "I remember going through catalogues when I was your age, picking out the biggest and best toys as soon as Thanksgiving was over. One year, I wanted a dollhouse that cost almost four hundred dollars. Plus, dolls and dresses and furniture and little china cabinets and who knows what else to go with it!"

Sammy couldn't help laughing. "Yeah, I've been asking Mom for a PlayStation for three years. She always says it's 'out of the question.'"

"I don't blame her." Dawn shrugged. "I've seen how much PlayStations cost." She looked down at her stomach, although she wasn't visibly pregnant yet. "Makes me wonder what this one's gonna ask for over the years. Dollhouses, PlayStations, trips to Disneyland." She laughed. "I don't think I'll be able to handle Space Mountain then. I'll be all grey and wrinkly."

Sammy laughed too. Maybe Dawn wasn't so bad after all.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Dawn exclaimed. "Your mother said your father was going to call from Osaka. Won't that be exciting? Having your father call from Japan?"

"It's not as good as having a dad who's around all the time", Sammy muttered.

Before Dawn could reply, Annabelle came in, holding hands with a little boy. Both Annabelle and the boy had white-blonde hair and dark blue eyes.

"Dawn! Dawn!" the boy cried, lunging forward. For some reason, he loved Dawn.

Dawn laughed and scooped him up. "Hey, RJ! How you doing?!"

"Good! I got new shoes! Mommy let me get the red ones I really wanted! Wanna see?!"

"I do wanna see", Dawn replied seriously. "But I should probably get back to making dinner."

"You're making dinner?" Annabelle asked in surprise, setting the groceries and other shopping bags down.

"Of course! It's the least I can do with how kind you've all been to me. It should be ready in about ten minutes."

Annabelle appeared tense for a moment before she turned to her daughter.

"Sammy, why don't you take RJ into his room and help him put his new shoes on? That way, he can show Dawn at dinnertime."

Obediently, the ten-year-old took her younger brother's hand and led him out of the room.

Even though she knew her mother had wanted her out of the room, Sammy couldn't help eavesdropping. After all, it was a very small apartment.

"Dawn, can I... can I talk to you about something?" Annabelle began nervously.

"Of course!" Dawn replied. "You can talk to me about anything, Annie. You know that."

"Well... I don't know how to say this, but... Well, just know that I think it's wonderful that you're pregnant. I feel like this could be the new start in life you need."

"I know. I'm pretty excited too. I guess I was meant to be a mother again."

"Right. Um..." Annabelle wasn't at all sure how to continue. "It's just that... I know who the father is."

"You do, do you?" Dawn's voice sounded almost threatening.

"I do. I've heard the messages River left you, telling you he didn't want me to find out he's been sleeping with you instead of me!"

Sammy couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Her_ father was the father of Dawn's baby?! That meant this baby was her half-sibling. And _that_ meant Dawn might become part of the family in some way.

"I can't believe either of you would do something like this!" Annabelle shouted. "He _cheated_ on me and _you're_ no better! You _knew_ he was married! I thought you were my _friend_!"

"It's not my fault he loves me more than he loves you!" Dawn shot back coldly. "Maybe if you guys didn't fight every time he came home."

"I still love River! And I'm sure he still loves me! But I'm the only one trying to keep this family together! How could you get in the way of something like this?!"

"What about _you_?!" Dawn sneered. "Marrying River when you knew I loved him!"

"When have you ever loved River? And what makes you think I could've possibly known?!"

RJ turned to Sammy. "Sammy? What's going on?" he questioned fearfully. He knew his mother and her friend were angry, but he didn't understand why.

Sammy didn't answer. She just helped him into his shoes and took his hand. "Let's get out of here. We can go to Nadia's till the yelling stops." Nadia Phillips was Sammy's best friend, who happened to live in the same building. The ten-year-old was genuinely scared of the noise, but also wanted an excuse to hang out with her best friend. "I can hang out with Nadia and you can play with Jake." (Jake was the Phillips's dog; RJ loved dogs.)

"Okay", RJ agreed good-naturedly as his sister led him out of the room.

The yelling grew louder as the two of them left the room and started into the tiny hallway. Both kids were quite scared, but nowhere near as much as they were about to be.

" **RIVER'S _MINE_!**" Dawn screamed abruptly, picking up the pot she'd been using to make the chili. Without warning, she struck Annabelle in the face with it.

Sammy gasped. "RJ, go back to your room!" she ordered, shoving her brother back the way they came.

"But I thought we were gonna-"

"Just do as I say!"

When Sammy went back to see if her mother was all right, she got the shock of her life. The woman was lying on the floor, screaming and crying in pain. Dawn was stood over the top of her with a long, sharp knife in her hand, ready to plunge.

"Please..." Annabelle begged, sobbing. "Please don't do this!"

Her daughter just stood there, frozen in shock. It all happened so fast, but, at the same time, it was like everything was moving in slow motion. She felt like she should do something, but she just couldn't. She couldn't think, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak.

Dawn just stared at the other woman for a moment before telling her quietly, almost sympathetically, "I'm sorry. Maybe you should've thought twice about marrying my man." Then the terrible deed was done.

" **MOM!** " Sammy screamed, rushing forward to her mother. The knife was sticking out of her chest and her white blouse was turning red from the blood. " **MOM!** "

"What's wrong with Mommy?!" RJ called from his room.

" **RJ, STAY THERE!** " Sammy wasn't really angry; not at RJ, anyway. She was just panicking. She knelt down by her mother's side and shook her. "Mom! Mom!"

There was no response. Sammy couldn't hear any breathing or feel a heartbeat or a pulse.

Without thinking, Sammy raced to the phone. She didn't do a very good job of describing the situation, but managed to get the key words out. _Mom_. _Stabbed_. _Blood_. The man on the other end of the line assured her that help was on its way.

The man was trying to give her instructions on how to help her mother, but Sammy couldn't hear them. Dawn had grabbed hold of her and tried to pull her away from the phone. She hadn't originally wanted to kill Sammy, but was determined to get rid of the witness. She started pulling her in the direction of the balcony.

" **HELP!** " Sammy shrieked, thrashing like crazy. " **SOMEBODY, HELP ME!** "

" **SHUT UP!** " Dawn screamed, tightening her grip on the girl. " **JUST SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE B**CH!** "

She kept trying to drag the girl, but she continued to put up a fight, screaming at the top of her lungs, crying her eyes out and refusing to move as much as she could. Dawn wasn't having any of it and pinned her arm behind her back so hard that there was a sickening crack. Overwhelming pain burst to life in the ten-year-old's arm, but she couldn't think of that just then. All she could do is scream for help, despite Dawn's orders for her to stop.

"What on Earth is going on in there?!" a familiar angry voice shouted. It was Mrs. Tuppens, the elderly car who lived across the hall.

Realising that Mrs. Tuppens was planning on coming in, Dawn decided to flee, by means of the fire escape. Sammy could still hear her. She was presumably on the phone, shouting, "Brittney! Brittney! I'm in trouble! I need you!"

There were several knocks at the door before Mrs. Tuppens barged in.

"Samantha Jean Marigold Rose!" she began to scold. "You are going to have to play more quietly! I can't hear myself think with all that-" She stopped short and gasped at the sight of the body of Annabelle Grace Rose lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Sammy stared at the old car for a few moments with tears in her eyes before she began trembling with shock. Her face was pale and her heart started beating faster. She could barely stand, in fact. So, she didn't. She just fell to the floor with a thud and passed out.

* * *

Quite the group of people were there when Sammy came to. She didn't recognise the doctor, the two nurses or the two police officers, but she did recognise everyone else in the room: RJ, Mrs. Tuppens, Nadia and her parents (three purple Ford Focuses) and her grandmother's four friends whom she knew and liked a lot- Smokey, Louise, River and Junior. Sammy wondered how long she'd been out for, if they could fly from Georgia to New York in that time.

For a moment, she couldn't figure out where she was or how she got there. Looking around, she realised that she must be in hospital... But why?

"Sammy!" Nadia exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"How you feelin', kid?" Smokey wanted to know.

"My arm hurts", she muttered, looking down to see her right arm in a cast.

"I'm not surprised", River commented quietly.

"Why? What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" the doctor asked her.

Sammy thought for a moment before gasping. "MOM!" she cried. "Where's Mom?! Is she..."

The room was silent with the exception of RJ bursting into tears.

"No!" Sammy gasped, realising the truth. "No!" She, too, burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, Sammy." Mrs. Tuppens's voice was quiet. "She was killed as soon as the knife went in."

"Don't blame yourself", Louise added. "There was nothing you could've done for her."

"But hey", Smokey added quietly. "You should be very proud of yourself. You did good, kid. You called the paramedics, you looked after your brother... We're all proud of you."

Sammy couldn't think about that, though. She had just one thought on her mind: "What will happen to me and RJ?"

There was another moment of silence.

"Your grandma's hoping you two will be allowed to stay in Thomasville with her", Junior informed her finally. "However, that ain't guaranteed yet."

"Where _is_ Grandma?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Tryin' to arrange that", Smokey replied.

* * *

May 2000

For a long time, Sammy had been reluctant to give a statement about what happened. She'd been far too traumatised to talk about it, though everyone thought she should. She would constantly have nightmares, concerning everyone around her. It was no secret that the last several months had been tough on Sammy. Not only had she been witness to her mother's murder, but she was forced to leave her home and all of her friends in New York City to live with her grandmother in Thomasville, Georgia. She loved Thomasville and everyone in it, but it was one thing to visit, another thing to live there. She just hated how drastically her life had changed.

"It's normal that she ain't herself", Smokey commented to his friends several times. "She's been through a lot."

"So has RJ", River pointed out. "Why is he still actin' like himself while Sammy ain't?"

"Sammy's older", Louise reasoned. "She understands better than RJ does. Besides, she actually _saw_ what happened. RJ didn't."

"She should talk to someone", Junior remarked. "She ain't gonna feel better till she does."

"Yeah, right", River muttered. "She ain't gonna talk."

That was true. Smokey and the others had made many attempts to get Sammy to talk about what had happened, but she was as stubborn as they were. The now-eleven-year-old had barely said a word for five months. However, one night, Smokey found a key to get Sammy to talk.

Sammy was sat at the kitchen table with some homework in front of her, but she couldn't concentrate on it. She was far too concerned about something she'd found out that day.

"It's not fair, Smokey!" she groaned. "They still haven't found the person who killed Mom!" Tears glistened in her eyes. "Why haven't they found her yet?!"

"Maybe because you haven't given the police a statement", Smokey responded bluntly. "It could help find her, you know."

Sammy was silent for a long time.

"I can't do that!" she wept. "I just can't, Smokey! I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Listen to me, Sammy. We all know things have been hard on you lately, but your mom ain't comin' back. Nothing's gonna change that. But somethin' you can do is make sure whoever killed her doesn't get away with it."

Sammy knew he was right. There was no chance she wanted Dawn to get away with what she'd done. It wasn't going to be easy to give a statement, but she had to do it. For her mother. So nobody had to go through the heartbreak of having someone they loved killed mercilessly by this evil woman! Before she could do anything, though, she spent the entire afternoon sobbing into Smokey's fender.

Finally, when her sobs subsided, she asked Smokey, "Do... Do you think you could help me? I mean, I know I'll have to do the talking, but you'll all be there, won't you?"

"You bet, kiddo", Smokey promised. "We'll all be there as much as we can." He reached for the phone. "It ain't gonna be easy, but once you get this over with, you'll feel a heck of a lot better."

* * *

One Week Later

"Why hasn't River called me?!" Dawn demanded, entering the apartment, carrying a grocery bag. "I thought he'd call me when he got to Shanghai! But he hasn't! Doesn't he wanna be a family?!"

"Never mind that!" the owner of the apartment and Dawn's friend, a bubblegum pink forklift named Brittney, shouted at her. "What have I told you about leaving the apartment?!"

Dawn shrugged. "I just went down the street. We needed milk."

"Well, you've really gotta be careful!" Brittney insisted. "I don't want the police knockin' on my door!"

"Don't worry. As long as that kid's got her mouth shut, we'll be fine. Shouldn't be that hard now that she's down south."

"Down south?" Brittney repeated.

"Oh, yeah. She's gone to live with her grandmother in Georgia or Alabama or somewhere. Not much there, I hear. Just a racetrack, a bunch of washed up racing legends and a goose."

" _You're_ a washed up racing legend", Brittney deadpanned.

"Whatever!" Dawn rolled her eyes. "Well, my point is we don't have to worry about the little b**ch talking. She's too traumatised by what she saw and she's miles away! Besides, I've been doing everything I can to change my appearance!"

That was true. Dawn's hair had once been long and black. Now, it was chin-length and a light blonde. She wore contacts to make her eyes look blue rather than brown. The final change had nothing to do with hiding from the law, but she was a lot bigger now. Her child's birth was only a few weeks away.

"Can we turn on the TV now?" Dawn requested, wanting to watch it _and_ change the subject. " _The Long Road_ should be on any minute now."

Brittney switched on the TV and the two settled in to watch the soap opera.

" _There's something I should've told you a long time ago_ ", bad boy muscle car, Jerry began, talking to his fiancée, pretty little sports car, Hope. " _We can't get married because I-_ "

" _We interrupt this program for a breaking news bulletin!_ " a news announcer's voice cut in. " _Here's Sandra Wheelson with more!_ "

Boy, were the two women shocked by what they saw.

" _This is Sandra Wheelson, reporting from New York City_ ", the reporter, a royal purple little sports car began. " _Where we've had developments in the case of the murder of Annabelle Rose, wife of businessman, River Rose._ "

Dawn and Brittney's eyes widened and they listened carefully.

" _About half an hour ago, the victim's daughter, Samantha Rose released a statement and police do have a suspect._ " A drawing that looked an awful lot like Dawn appeared on the screen. " _Dawn Hathaway._ "

After listening to the police drone on about not approaching and calling the authorities if you'd seen her, _The Long Road_ returned to the screen. However, Dawn and Brittney couldn't think about how Jerry had been arrested for the fire at O'Malley's Bar or how Hope's son wasn't Jerry's. They needed a plan.

"I'll call Steve!" Brittney decided, reaching for the phone.

* * *

June 2000

All that could be heard in the bank were alarms, gunshots and screams as Dawn stuffed as much money as she possibly could into the bag she was carrying. There was no doubt the police would be after her soon. Luckily, Steve was just waiting outside. She and Brittney just had to get to him and go.

"Dawn!" Brittney called from somewhere behind her.

Dawn turned around to see the forklift holding out another bag overflowing with money. "Take it!"

Uncertainly, the human woman took the bag and leapt into the back of Steve, a truck, who was going to drive them away. As far away as possible.

Just as Dawn was about to flee, she heard a loud bang behind her. It sounded an awful lot like the gunshots she'd just sent around the place. She gasped and whipped around.

"Brittney!"

The forklift had been shot badly, but urged Dawn on. "Go! Go!"

Dawn didn't hesitate to obey. She leapt into the back of Steve and he drove off.

"California, here we come!" Dawn declared excitedly, pulling the ski mask off her face.

Still, she felt a pang of sadness. First of all, for Brittney. She had sacrificed herself, so that she and Steve could get away. Second of all, when she discovered she was pregnant, she was so happy. All the human woman wanted was a happy life with River and their baby, preferably without Annabelle and her kids hanging around. Now, she was on the run with a friend of a friend, past her due date and about to start a new life who knew where. The plan was to catch a boat in California. Dawn glanced down at her pregnant stomach sadly. She knew what had to be done.

* * *

So, Dawn and Steve went on the run, as planned. They tried to stop as little as they could. Just enough to occasionally get gas and other supplies. Steve also insisted that they stopped somewhere reclusive, so that Dawn could paint him yellow. He knew the police would remember that he was a blue and white truck. Dawn, however, felt like it was safe- for the time being, anyway- to forgo the hair dye and contacts. She didn't like blonde hair or blue eyes. Annabelle had blonde hair and blue eyes.

Two things happened when they got to about New Mexico or Arizona. The first was they learned, from a TV in a gas station they held up, that Brittney had died from her gunshot wounds.

"She died for me", Dawn commented sadly.

The second thing came hours after they left the Top Down Truck Stop with more money and supplies and were heading down Route 66 (convinced that would make it harder to find them). It was something that she had known was coming for a long time.

"My water just broke!" she gasped.

"Oh, Jesus!" Steve shouted hysterically. "What do I do?!"

"Just keep driving!" Dawn instructed him. "I think we have some time!"

So, he did. It was clear that Dawn was growing more and more in pain, but Steve didn't do anything, except drive and drive until the sun was beginning to set.

"You gotta stop!" Dawn shouted at that point, grunting in pain. "I think this is it!"

"All right!" he agreed. "Pullin' over!"

"Just hope they aren't still after us!" Dawn commented as Steve pulled to a stop.

"Well, they're from New York", Steve reminded her. "We're in Arizona, I think. Somewhere like that. They have no jurisdiction here."

"True, but the guys in New York might've called the goddamn _FBI_ and they _have_ jurisdiction."

"We're gonna be fine", Steve assured her with a grin. "We got a massive headstart."

"Where _are_ we?" Dawn wondered, jumping out of the back of the truck. _Stumbling_ , to be more accurate.

"Says here we're just outside of a town called Radiator Springs", the truck reported.

"Radiator Springs", the human repeated, pulling her chin-length jet-black hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Never heard of it. Perfect", she added, a devilish grin sweeping over her face. But the grin was quick to disappear as more pain swept over her.

"You okay, Dawn?"

"I don't think so... God! I just wanna get this damn thing out of me! So, we can get the hell outta here! _And_ I can have a cigarette!"

"Come on. You've been through this twice before", Steve reminded her.

"Yeah, but I had a _doctor_ with me both times!"

"Maybe we should find you a doctor", the truck suggested.

"No time! We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"It's gonna be okay!" the truck assured her. "Just breathe! I'm here to help you!"

Dawn gave him a Look. "No offence, Steve, but you weren't exactly my first choice to help me. I just needed someone to get me as far away from home as possible."

"Do you need some help?"

An Italian accent attracted the attention of both truck and human. A yellow 1959 Fiat 500 and a light blue forklift came rolling down the road the way they had just come, carrying what looked like groceries and other assorted items in shopping bags.

"She's in labour", Steve explained to the two newcomers. "I don't suppose _you'd_ know much about that."

"That is true", the Fiat agreed. "We do not. But we know someone who does." He turned to the forklift and took some bags from him. "Guido, you stay here. Luigi will go get help."

"Okay!" the forklift (Guido) agreed as the Fiat (Luigi) drove off in the direction of the town...

* * *

June 2012

As Miles Axlerod flung Brittney "Fudge" Rossi-Topolino off the top of the Eiffel Tower, the eleven-year-old was convinced that she had no chance of making it out of this one. She was falling to her death. She could see her life flashing before her eyes. Running around Radiator Springs, meeting Lightning, attending countless races, racing around Willy's Butte and the whole World Grand Prix saga.

In this moment, falling to her death, Fudge was starting to wonder if her life would've been better if she'd never heard of CHROME. She was only eleven, but they'd put her through more near death experiences than any eleven-year-old cared to have. Now, she was going to die young. Not that she wanted to grow old, but she wanted to go when she was a little bit older.

Wait! Maybe there was something she could do! She couldn't believe she didn't think of it earlier. Then again, she was too busy worrying about her seemingly-inevitable demise and watching her life flash before her eyes. It wasn't easy while her arms were still flailing around, but she managed to grab hold of the watch around her wrist. She pressed several buttons, hoping that one she pressed would be the right one. Nope. That was the knife. The built-in computer. _Come on! I'm about to be killed here!_ Finally, she got the right button. A grappling hook came out of the watch and was sent directly towards the famous Parisian structure beside her. The hook wrapped around the metal pillar expertly and the human girl was left dangling there, trying to slow her breathing down, only vaguely aware of the helicopter whirring above her head.

Fudge glanced down. There were dozens of parts that had once made up Miles Axlerod scattered across the ground below. Fudge was almost sick at the sight of it. She was close enough to the ground to know that she had cut it close with using the grappling hook, but she was too far to jump. Digging through her pocket, she hoped to find the pen that Sammy had given her. It was a really cool device: a pen that could transform into a hover board! However, there was no pen in her pocket. it must've fallen out when she fell. She was going to have to radio Sammy to borrow hers.

Before she could do that, though, Fudge jumped at an almighty bang above her. The chopper had exploded into a ball of flames and blackened, twisted pieces of metal. She gasped and was horrified. She had no idea if that was the Lemons' helicopter or CHROME's. There was only one way to find out.

"Sammy!" Fudge radioed desperately. "Come in, Sammy!"

She already felt sick, fearing a lack of response. Then she heard Sammy's voice. " _Fudge!_ "

" _Fudge!_ " Mater cried. " _Yer alive!_ "

"Am I?" the human joked, trying to mask her relief. "I didn't notice."

" _Are you okay?_ " Sammy wanted to know.

"I'm fine! There's just one problem..."

" _What?!_ " Fudge heard Lightning question, panicking.

"I dropped my pen!" she answered. "Do you think I could borrow yours, Sammy?"

There was no answer.

A few seconds later, though, Sammy appeared on her hover board.

"Hi!" Fudge greeted her.

Sammy held Fudge in her arms as the younger human detached the grappling hook.

"I got you, I got you!"

"Fudge!" Mater and Lightning cried happily, rushing forward to hug their little sister when she returned.

Pretty soon, the three of them, Finn McMissile, Holley Shiftwell and Sammy Rose were folded into a group hug.

"I can't believe it", Finn broke the content silence. "Professor Zundapp was one of my mortal enemies for over thirty years. I can't believe he's really gone."

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about him anymore", Fudge commented, clearly relieved.

"And Fudge is safe", Holley chimed in.

"Now, that's what I call a successful mission!" Sammy proclaimed.

* * *

With all of the drama out of the way, Fudge was relieved to be heading home a few hours later. Guido and Luigi were as happy as ever to see her and the entire town of Radiator Springs was excited to hear of her, Lightning and Mater's adventures in Paris. Fudge couldn't stop laughing and smiling as she and the others recounted the tale and performed some ridiculous car-car dancing as they had done in the City of Lights. However, the eleven-year-old noticed that there was someone who wasn't part of it. Sammy didn't seem to be herself the past couple of days; Fudge just wished she knew why.

She got her answer later that night. She'd been out for a walk down by the waterfall when she spotted Sammy on the rock, crying.

"Sammy?" she ventured.

The woman whipped around. He face was tear-stained and snot-streaked with makeup running down it and her eyes were bloodshot. To top it off, she was embarrassed. "Hey, Fudge..."

"What's wrong?" Fudge wanted to know, hugging the older human.

"Nothing..." Sammy replied.

"That doesn't look like nothing to me", Fudge countered. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but it's definitely not nothing. I'm worried about you."

"That's okay. I think it's time to get this off my chest..." Sammy drew in a deep breath before speaking. "I guess with all these missions, travelling all over the world and then coming here... I guess I've been feeling kind of homesick lately."

"Oh. Well, there's nothing wrong with that", Fudge pointed out to Sammy. "I feel homesick whenever I leave Radiator Springs."

"Well, you've never been away from Radiator Springs and your family- your _loving_ family- for as long as I've been away from my home!" the rainbow-haired woman pointed out. "First, I went to college in Michigan. Then I stayed in Michigan to be trained by Rod. _Now_ , I'm travelling anywhere and everywhere, saving the world! I've only been back twice since then! I... I just miss my family!" Sammy cried even more.

"What _is_ your family like?" Fudge wondered, not at all sure if Sammy could tell her that.

"Well, my mom died when I was ten", she began sadly. "Stabbed right in the chest. I saw it happen. One of her so-called friends did it! And she never paid for what she did! _That's_ why I was so determined not to let those Lemons get away with what they'd done!"

Fudge was horrified to hear that. She wished there was something she could say to convey her shock and sympathy. Yet, she knew there was nothing she could think of. She never knew her mom and tried to think of what she'd want people to say when they found out.

"I know what it's like not to have a mom", the eleven-year-old informed Sammy. "It sucks." She'd realised that it didn't matter what people said; it was the general sympathy that made her feel better.

Sammy nodded. "It really does! I didn't really have a father either."

"Why not?" It sounded like the two had a lot in common, Fudge realised. She never knew either of her parents. Sammy must've known her mother, of course, but she knew what it was like to not have parents.

"He was always too busy for us. He travelled a lot for work and was hardly ever there. In fact, that's why he and my mom argued all the time when he _was_ home. Then when Mom died, he cut us out completely", Sammy explained.

"So, if your mom died and your dad was never around, who did you live with?" Fudge wondered. It was probably none of her business, but this was the closest she'd gotten to really knowing Sammy. She didn't have to answer if she really didn't want to.

"Well, I'm from New York originally, but when Mom died, my grandma took me and my brother in and we moved to her small town down south very much like this one." Sammy smiled fondly, which Fudge could only assume was because she was thinking of home. "My grandma is wonderful. She was always there for me and my brother when we needed her. She loved us way more than her son ever did. Her friends became like my family too. They were great as well."

"You have a brother?" It was crazy how Fudge could know all the big things about Sammy, but none of the personal things like that.

"Yeah", Sammy confirmed. "He's six years younger than me, so he's just finishing his junior year of high school. I promised I'd come to his graduation and I'm hoping I can keep that promise." She laughed through her tears. "He used to drive me crazy, but I love him anyway."

"That sounds like Lightning and me", Fudge remarked with a grin. "And Mater and me."

"God, I just miss them so much!"

"Well, if you get some time off, you could always visit them", Fudge pointed out. "Can't you?"

Sammy nodded. "Yeah, I can. I just don't know when that's gonna be."

"You know what Doc used to tell me? If something's that important to you, then you've gotta make time for it."

"Yep", Sammy whispered, drying her eyes. "That does sound like the kind of thing Doc would say."

Fudge gave her an odd look. "How would you know? You never met him."

"Just... based on the stuff you've said about him... You know what?" Sammy realised. "You're right. I'm just gonna have to make time to see my grandma and brother." She stood up. "I gotta go. Finn and Holley must want to head back to London now."

Fudge stood up too. "Yeah. Luigi and Guido are probably gonna be wondering where I am."

"Hey, Fudge? Thanks. I'm glad to call you my friend." _No_ , Sammy corrected her thinking, though she was too embarrassed to say it out loud. _It's more than that._ She was beginning to regard Fudge as the little sister she never had.

Fudge smiled. "I'm glad to call you my friend too!"

* * *

Some more time went by. Finn and Holley went back to London. So did Sammy, but first, she spent a wonderful weekend in her old hometown of Thomasville, Georgia. It was so amazing to see her family again and she could return to London and then head off with Finn and Holley for their next mission refreshed and with a clear mind.

Meanwhile, in Radiator Springs, Fudge celebrated her twelfth birthday. It was an awesome day, having water fights, playing all kinds of games, receiving phone calls from some of Lightning's racing buddies and Finn, Holley and Sammy (who apologised for not being there for the day), eating a delicious cake Flo had made and listening to everyone tell her, "One more year and you'll be a teenager!"

"But I don't wanna be a teenager!" Fudge protested. First of all, she saw becoming a teenager as a sign that she was getting older. Second of all, she'd always been scared of teenagers.

"Well, you've still got a year of being twelve before you become a teenager", Sally pointed out. "Why don't you just enjoy that?"

"I'll try!" Fudge giggled.

* * *

July 2012

Things were really going well when, two weeks after Fudge's birthday, a sleek sliver jet streaked across the sky above Radiator Springs.

"It's Siddeley!" Mater and Fudge exclaimed in unison, racing to greet the spy jet and his passengers.

"Mater!" Holley exclaimed, rolling forward to kiss her boyfriend.

"Howdy, Holley!" Mater kissed her.

"Hi, Finn!" Fudge hugged the British spy car.

"Hello, Fudge! It's wonderful to see you again!"

"You too! We weren't expecting you back so soon!"

"Yeah!" Sammy grinned. "We were able to kick ass a hell of a lot quicker than we thought! No dignitaries are getting assassinated on _our_ watch!"

Fudge laughed. "If anybody can do that, it's you guys!"

"Well, we do have another mission in Venezuela coming up", Finn informed them, "but we don't have to be there for a few days."

"So, we thought we'd stop here on the way", Holley finished.

"Well, welcome!" Sally greeted them.

"You're always welcome here", Flo assured them. "Now, can I get you anything to drink?"

* * *

Later that evening, everyone was off, doing their own things. Most of the storeowners were looking after said stores. Though, Fillmore, Lizzie, Red and Ramone were sipping oil at Flo's with Finn. The five of them, plus Flo were chattering away. Sheriff was still on patrol on the outskirts of town. Lightning, Sally, Mater and Holley were at the Wheel Well, having a double date. They'd have dinner there, before going to the drive-in for a movie.

Taking advantage of the quiet, Sammy approached Fudge, who was just finishing up changing the tyres of a cream Cadillac. "Wanna take a walk?"

Fudge grinned. "Sure!" Then she stopped. "Well, I _want_ to, but I'm not sure if Luigi-"

"It is fine, Fudge", Luigi assured her. "You go."

"Are you sure?"

Luigi laughed. "Of course I am sure!"

"Come on! Let's go!" Sammy instructed, extending a hand to help Fudge up.

So, the twelve-year-old grabbed a jacket and followed the older human. "Where do you wanna go?"

"I don't know", Sammy admitted. "I don't know this place as well as you do."

"I know somewhere we could go!" the girl suggested. Then she caught herself. She knew she sometimes had the tendency to barge ahead and do whatever she wants to do. "I mean, if it's okay with you."

"Sure! Lead the way, kiddo!"

So, she did.

* * *

"Wow!" Sammy breathed, impressed. "This is beautiful!"

"Yeah", Fudge agreed.

Fudge had led Sammy to a secluded spot on the way to the Wheel Well and through the forest. There was a clearing in the forest at the edge of a cliff. In this clearing, there were some large smooth rocks for humans to sit and you could enjoy a panorama view of everything. The forest, the waterfall, Ornament Valley, Cadillac Range, Willy's Butte and, of course, the town. The Interstate loomed in the distance too. Everything was bathed in pink and gold as the sun began to set.

"I love having picnics here", Fudge informed Sammy.

"I can see why." She nodded. "This would be a pretty awesome spot for a picnic."

"Yeah, In fact... I'll be right back." Fudge rose and ran in the direction of the motel.

When she returned, she was wheeling a cart as carefully as she could. On the cart were two plates of food (one was spaghetti and the other was steak and fries), a jug of water, two glasses and some cutlery.

"We can have a picnic now!" She grinned. "I just gotta take the cart back later and pay for it." She paused and added, "I'm feeling rich after all the birthday money I got!"

"Steak!" Sammy exclaimed. "I _love_ steak! How did you know?!"

Fudge gave an embarrassed smile. "Holley told me."

"I should've known. Well, it looks good!"

The two ate in silence for a while before Sammy spoke.

"You know, Fudge, there's a reason I brought you out here."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Well... I just wanted to say... thanks. You know, for your advice on seeing my family."

Fudge shrugged modestly. "No problem... Do you know when you're gonna see them?"

Actually..." Sammy grinned. "I kinda already did."

"Really? How'd it go?"

"Yeah, it was great... My brother and I got to spend a whole weekend together. We built a fort in the woods, something we haven't done since we were kids. And I went racing with some of my grandma's friends. They're all into racing."

Fudge nodded enthusiastically. "Cool!"

" _And_ my brother's gonna come visit me in London for two weeks while he's on summer vacation! CHROME's given me time off for that!" She laughed. "He's so excited! He's never been to London before."

"Awesome!"

"Yeah, it's gonna be great!" Sammy thought for a moment. "Maybe you could come to London while I'm off. You could meet my brother."

"That'd be cool!" Fudge commented.

"Yeah... We'd just need to think of a way to explain how I know you."

"Yeah!" Fudge laughed. Then she stopped, remembering that she didn't know something very important. "Wait. What's your brother's name?"

"We call him RJ, but his real name's River. He was named after our dad, so he's River, Junior. That just got shortened to RJ."

Fudge looked at her with wide eyes. "So, he's River Rose, Junior?"

Sammy nodded. "Yeah."

Fudge's eyes widened, having a flashback to a conversation she'd had with Luigi a few weeks ago...

* * *

June 2012

"I'm home!" Fudge sang out, returning to Casa Della Tires from racing with Lightning the day after her twelfth birthday.

Luigi took a deep breath. "Fudge. We want to talk to you."

"Am I in trouble?"

Luigi chuckled gently. "No, no, no, no. It is nothing like that."

"(Come and sit down in the living room)", Guido instructed, holding his daughter's hand.

Fudge took her place on the couch with her fathers facing her.

Luigi took another deep breath. "Fudgie? Before we begin, we just want you to know that we- and everyone in Radiator Springs- love you very much."

"Okay... You're scaring me."

"We are sorry", Luigi apologised. "We just need to talk to you about something. We think you are old enough to have this conversation..."

"If this is the talk about where babies come from, I already had that talk when I was ten, remember?" Fudge reminded them.

Guido and Luigi laughed.

"(It is not that talk, angel)", Guido answered. "(This is about your adoption.)"

"Okay..." That did nothing to stop Fudge from being nervous. How could this conversation possibly go?

"Now, angel", Luigi explained, "we are sure you have a lot of questions about your adoption and we want to answer them as best as we can. Why don't you let us talk first, then if you have any more questions, then you can ask them, okay?

"Okay..." Luigi began gently, not at all sure how to start. "Twelve years ago, Guido and I went into Ashgrove to get some groceries and other things. And on our way home, we saw a truck with a human woman next to him. She was in labour and about to give birth."

"To me?"

"That is right!" Luigi confirmed with the biggest smile on his face. "We got her to Doc's clinic where she gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl we have ever seen! A few hours later, we took you over to Flo's because everyone wanted to meet you, but when you started crying, Doc took you back to his clinic, so your mother could feed you. Only when he came back to Flo's, you were still crying and Doc told us your mother was gone."

Fudge was shocked and hurt. It just sounded so... cold.

"Fudgie!" Luigi cried as he saw tears in his daughter's eyes. "I know this is hard for you, but please try to listen to us! Doc called ACAFCA and they put in many hours trying to find out who your mother was and if she had any other family, but they could not find anything."

"Why not?" Fudge demanded, trying to fight the tears. "Didn't she tell you her name? Don't you remember anything about her?"

"She told us her name was Celeste Jones", Luigi replied.

"(When you were born, your name was Brittney Angel Jones)", Guido added. "(Luigi and I changed your last name to Rossi-Topolino when we adopted you.)"

"Though, we believe she may have given us a fake name", Luigi added. "We don't think she wanted us to find her after she abandoned you."

"But why?!" Fudge was crying now. "Why would she abandon me?! Why didn't she want me?!"

"Oh! My angel!" Luigi exclaimed, hugging her. "It is okay! Please don't cry! We don't know why your mother left you! She might not have been able to take care of you."

"I don't think she wanted me!" Fudge blurted out. "She just left me in Radiator Springs because that's where I was born! If she cared about me, she would've thought about what she should do with me!"

"I know, I know!"

"What about my father?" Fudge wanted to know after they'd talked about her mother a little while longer. "Do you know anything about him?"

"Not really, angel", Luigi answered. "Do you remember when ACAFCA wanted to take you away from Radiator Springs?"

She nodded.

"Well, they found your father and told us a little bit about him. All we know is that he is a very busy man with his work and he travels a lot."

"What does he do?"

"I don't know. It is something to do with computers, I think. You know Guido and I know nothing about technology."

Fudge couldn't help giggling.

* * *

The next day, Fudge was determined to find more answers. So, she went over to the courthouse. She didn't tell anybody what she was up to, fearing that someone would try to stop her. She could see the cabinet that she wanted, but unfortunately, it was locked. The cabinet had copies of important documents for every single resident of Radiator Springs. There were organised in folders, arranged in alphabetical order according to surnames. Fudge had been hoping to look at her birth certificate and her adoption papers to see if they could tell her anything.

Knowing that it wasn't going to happen, Fudge tried to leave. However, in came Sheriff. He stared at her for a moment.

"Fudge, what are you doin' here?" he demanded suspiciously.

"I'm sorry!" Fudge cried. "I really am! I didn't mean to do anything wrong!"

"That doesn't answer my question. What are you doing?"

"I... I just wanted to look at my birth certificate." When Sheriff didn't say anything, she added, "I kinda... wanna see if it can tell me anything about where I came from. And who my parents are."

Sheriff was still silent.

"All right", he agreed, reaching for a key. "I'll show you yer birth certificate, but I don't want you gettin' too disappointed if you don't find what you're lookin' for, all right?"

Fudge nodded, trying not to get her hopes up.

Sheriff flicked through each file, trying to find Fudge's. Fudge kept an eye out for hers too. Carrera, Sally. Carson, Sheriff. Hudson, Paul. Mater, Tow. McQueen, Montgomery. Rossi, Guido. Rossi-Topolino, Brittney.

Sheriff handed it over. "Be careful with it."

Fudge took the folder and lay it down on the table carefully. She peered at the first document: her birth certificate. There was nothing there she didn't already know. She was born Brittney Angel Jones on June sixteenth 2000 in Radiator Springs, Arizona. Her mother was listed as Celeste Jones like Luigi said.

Her father was listed as unknown.

"How come it says my father's unknown?" she quizzed Sheriff.

"Your mom wouldn't say who he was", Sheriff explained. "We don't think she was bein' honest about who _she_ was either."

"I know. Luigi told me."

"But... Luigi told you how ACAFCA found your father, didn't he?"

Fudge nodded. "Yeah... Do you know what his name was?"

* * *

July 2012

Fudge dropped her knife and fork in disbelief.

"My father's name was River Rose!" she blurted out, remembering Sheriff telling her that.

"You're _kidding_!" Sammy gasped, dropping her own knife and fork.

Fudge shook her head wordlessly.

Both humans felt their minds going into overdrive. Fudge was trying to remember anything she knew about her birth parents. Her father always travelled for work and didn't have much time for family. That sounded an awful lot like Sammy's father. Plus, it was no secret that the two of them looked alike. They both had brown hair, blue eyes and similar features. People mistook them for sisters all the time.

Sammy was thinking about that too. It couldn't be a coincidence that they looked so amazingly alike _and_ have fathers with the same name... Could it? She remembered Dawn had been pregnant with her father's baby when she killed her mother. That was twelve and a half years ago. And Fudge had just turned twelve.

It didn't take either of them long to come to the exact same conclusion at the exact same time.

"We're _sisters_!"

 **That's right! Cliffhanger! It got so long that I had to make it a two shot rather than a oneshot.**

 **I've had this in mind practically since the moment I created Sammy! I did try to hint at it a little bit. In _When Life Gives You Lemons_ , Fudge's tracking device code was S1573R, which kind of looks like the word _SISTER_ , which was meant to foreshadow it. Also, in _Life Could Be a Dream_ and _Mater and Fudge in Paris: Part 3_ , did anybody notice that there were some similarities in their backstories?**

 **Please review! I would love to know your thoughts/reactions!**


	20. Guns and Roses: Part 2

**I'm so glad you guys like the reveal! I was so excited to show you guys! For a long time, I was unsure of how to write part two, but then I realised since Sammy has a brother, it was only logical to introduce him. Then I thought about what kind of complications could arise there and this is what came from it.**

 **Another long chapter- even longer, in fact- for you guys! Once again, the canon characters aren't in it that much, but I'** **ve tried to make it up to you with some tidbits of background information on some of them.**

 **Guns and Roses**

 **Part 2**

"I can't believe this!" Sammy shook her head in utter amazement.

"What do we do?" Fudge wondered.

"What do you mean, 'What do we do?'" Sammy asked her.

"I think it might be true", Fudge explained, "but we're gonna have to prove it, right?"

"I guess so", the older human- her older _sister_ \- realised. "And I think I know how."

"How?" Fudge wanted to know.

"Holley. If we each give her some of our blood, she can put it into the computer and see if we really are related. She's done it before on missions. Of course, they're not for personal reasons, but I'm sure she'll make an exception just this once."

"But she's on a date!" the twelve-year-old pointed out. "We're not gonna interrupt her date, are we?"

"For something like _this_? Of course we are!"

The two had pretty much finished eating by then, anyway, so they wheeled the cart back to the Wheel Well in a hurry. Fudge nearly crashed into Sally on the way.

"Whoa! Slow down, Fudge!" she instructed. "This isn't a racetrack!"

"Sorry!" Fudge apologised as she stopped abruptly. Sammy skidded to a halt behind Fudge and crashed right into her. "We need to find Holley!"

The British sports car looked her way. "What is it?"

Sammy grinned. "We need a favour..."

The two humans' story definitely interested Holley and Sally. Lightning and Mater couldn't help overhearing and were just as amazed.

"Wow!" Lightning exclaimed softly.

"Dad-gum!" Mater added.

"I can definitely do a blood test", Holley confirmed. She looked back at Mater, Lightning and Sally. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not!" they all assured her.

"The movie doesn't start for another half hour", Sally pointed out. "If you hurry, we might make it."

"Come on, Sal!" Lightning piped up. "Who can think about seeing a movie when these two might be sisters?"

"Let's go back to town", Holley suggested.

* * *

"I just thought of something", Fudge announced as Sally placed a Band-Aid on the crook of her elbow where she'd had blood drawn (which she did not enjoy at all; she hated needles). She was sat down on the bed inside a Cozy Cone. The cone was packed with her, Sammy, Holley, Lightning, Sally, Mater, Finn, Guido and Luigi. Word of Fudge and Sammy's discovery had spread like wildfire and the whole town was waiting for news. Well, Lizzie didn't know why they were all gathered.

"What?" Sammy questioned, not at all fazed by the needle going into her arm.

"Your mom died when you were ten, right?"

"Yeah?"

"How old are you now?"

"I'm twenty-three. You were born when I was eleven."

"But how?"

"We have the same dad, but different moms."

"So... we're only half-sisters", Fudge realised.

Sammy nodded in confirmation. "Right."

"That's if the computer confirms you're related", Holley spoke up, putting the blood samples into her database.

"Well, why wouldn't it?" Lightning wondered.

"After what they've told me, I really do believe Fudge and Sammy are sisters", Holley replied, "but there's still the possibility this is all just a coincidence. At least this way, we'll know for sure."

"How long should this take?" Luigi asked.

"Only a few minutes."

So, they all waited anxiously. Finally, they heard a ding.

"This is it!" Sammy whispered nervously.

"What does it say?" Fudge wanted to know.

"I'll let you see for yourself."

So, they did.

Fudge's eyes widened. "We _are_ sisters!"

"Well, just _half_ -sisters", Sammy corrected her.

"Yeah, but we're still sisters."

Sammy smiled. "Yeah, we are."

* * *

Hearing the cheers and seeing the smiles on the two humans' faces told everyone outside everything they needed to know.

"Dad-gum!" Mater exclaimed.

"I can't believe this!" Flo commented.

"It sounds like a plot on _The Long Road_!" Ramone chimed in.

"Well, that is some coincidence!" Sarge proclaimed.

"It's not a coincidence, man!" Fillmore disagreed. "It's destiny!"

"Hippie!" Sarge mumbled, sounding disgusted as usual.

"He's right, Sarge!" Flo spoke up. "I think this all came together. It was meant to be!"

"Hey, Sammy!" Lightning grinned. "Guess that means you're _my_ sister too!"

Sammy smirked. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Well, you, Finn and Holley always _have_ been like part of the family, honey", Flo assured her. "Now, it's official."

Luigi turned to his daughter. "What do you think, Fudgie?"

The twelve-year-old shook her head, but she was grinning. "It's just... so much to get my head around, but... I think it's pretty cool!"

"Me too!" Sammy agreed, hugging Fudge.

* * *

Wild celebrations were going on in Radiator Springs that night. It was all so exciting that two of their friends had just discovered they were related. The two sisters were overwhelmed, of course, but they were definitely happy too. For a long time, neither of them knew what to say, but they were smiling and hugging a lot.

"Hey, Fudge?" Sammy began at one point during the night.

"Yeah?"

"Now that we're sisters, there is something I want you to do..."

* * *

"Do you see him yet?" Fudge wondered, scanning the crowd of passengers trickling into Heathrow Airport. She eliminated the cars, of course, but she eyed each human, looking for one of seventeen, who looked like her and Sammy.

"Not yet. But his flight only landed a couple of minutes ago. He's still gotta go through customs."

Sammy had convinced Fudge to visit her in London at the same time as her brother, RJ.

"He's your brother too", Sammy had insisted. "You have to meet him."

So, Fudge had arrived in London the day before with Sammy and Siddeley and now, they were waiting for RJ's civilian, mainstream flight. Of course, Fudge couldn't argue with the fact that this guy was her brother and she should meet him, but she was nervous. What if she didn't like RJ? What if RJ didn't like her? Sammy had mentioned to him that she'd found a half-sister and told Fudge he was very excited to meet her. Still, what if-

"Fudge!"

The girl turned to face Sammy as a bright flash of light shone in front of her. "What?"

"He's here!" Sammy waved in the direction of the crowd. "RJ! RJ!"

"Hey!" a voice exclaimed happily as the seventeen-year-old boy approached his sister.

Fudge looked surprised from her first glimpse of RJ. He was not at all how she'd pictured him. Instead of having brown hair, he had a mop of blonde hair so light that it was practically white. His eyes were blue like hers and Sammy's, but a darker shade of blue and his nose didn't look like theirs. Neither did his jaw. He was tall too, about Sammy's height and thin as a wire. He wore wire-rimmed glasses, a grey fleece jacket, a black plaid shirt, jeans and sneakers. He had a camera on a strap around his neck.

"I didn't even bother looking for you!" Sammy informed him with a laugh as he approached. "I just looked for the flash!"

RJ laughed and gave his sister the biggest hug he could. She returned the gesture with the biggest smile on her face.

Fudge just stood back, unsure of what to do. As she watched the two hug, the twelve-year-old felt a twinge of what she thought was jealousy. Only she didn't know why.

Finally, RJ and Sammy broke apart, the latter faced Fudge. "Fudge, this is our brother, River Patrick Rose, Junior."

"Call me RJ", the seventeen-year-old added, holding out his hand to shake. He had a southern accent.

Fudge shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"It's so cool to meet you. You look just like you do on TV!"

"You know who I am?" Fudge was surprised.

"Yeah! You're part of Lightning McQueen's pit crew! I can't believe you're really my sister!"

"Yeah..." Fudge giggled, excited, embarrassed and nervous.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well!" Sammy began, knowing that both of her siblings were quite shy. "Shall we get going? I've got a cab waiting for us outside."

"Yeah!" Fudge agreed, trying to shake off her jealousy. "Let's go!"

* * *

"It's not very warm", were RJ's first words upon exiting the airport. "Isn't it summer?"

Sammy laughed. "Welcome to England!"

RJ laughed too. So did Fudge, but her heart wasn't quite in it.

"I always thought that was an exaggeration!" RJ commented. He looked at Fudge. "So, Sammy says you two already knew each other. How?"

"Oh, we met during the World Grand Prix."

"Oh, yeah! I remember hearing about that. You and that tow truck saved the world, didn't you?"

"Mater. Yeah", Fudge confirmed.

"Sammy, I didn't know you went to the World Grand Prix." RJ turned to his sister, looking hurt.

"Yeah", she responded, shooting Fudge a scolding glance. "You know how much I love racing."

RJ turned to Fudge with almost an angry look. "She never tells me these things", he informed his younger sister, his tone accusing.

"Well, the cab's here!" Sammy announced, eager to change the subject. Looking at her brother, she added, "We'll definitely ride a double decker bus while we're here. A cab is just the easiest way out of the airport."

He nodded as he slid into the right side of the taxi. "Cool! Can't wait!"

As the shortest, Fudge was squeezed in the middle and Sammy got in behind her.

Sammy leaned forward to give the taxi the address, which he confirmed and they were on their way.

* * *

"Wow!" RJ looked all around out of windows on both sides of the cab, snapping photos on his camera (Sammy told Fudge that the first thing she should know about RJ was that his passion was photography). "I can't believe I'm actually here! I've always wanted to see London! I've seen practically every episode of _Doctor Who_ ever made!"

"Yeah! And kept pestering me to watch too!" Sammy added with a laugh. "And _Star Wars_ and _Star Trek_!" She rolled her eyes.

"But you've watched _Doctor Who_ with Finn, haven't you?" Fudge pointed out, her jealousy creeping back.

"Who's Finn?" RJ wanted to know.

"Some guy I work with", Sammy answered. "He's as obsessed with _Doctor Who_ as you are!"

RJ laughed. "I'll have to meet him then."

"But isn't he on a mi-"

"He might be back from business by then", Sammy cut in, sounding a little annoyed.

Things were silent in the cab for a few minutes before RJ exclaimed, "There's Big Bentley!"

"Oh, yeah!" Even though Fudge had seen Big Bentley before, it was fun to see it again. "It looks better from the outside than the inside, right, Sammy?"

"What?" RJ was confused.

Sammy gave Fudge a hard glare. "Fudge."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up!"

Fudge shrank back, embarrassed, angry and upset while Sammy and RJ conversed.

"So, what do you wanna see?"

"Everything! Big Bentley, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, London Eye, Buckingham Palace..." He looked to Fudge. "Buckingham Palace must be pretty cool. _You've_ definitely been there, Fudge!"

"Yeah", Fudge muttered halfheartedly. "It's cool."

"Yeah, and so's the London Eye!" Sammy added, much more enthusiastically. "You get an awesome view of the city from the London Eye!"

"What about fish and chips? Is that any good?"

The two continued to talk and sang, "London Calling" as loudly as they could. After a while, Fudge began to feel invisible. She just stared out the windows, hoping that something would cheer her up. She loved London, but this time, there was nothing.

* * *

Finally, the taxi pulled up in front of a block of apartments or flats, as Sammy explained they were called in England. Fudge knew that it was where CHROME hosted family members or any civilians who didn't know their true identity.

"It's a civilian apartment building by agents for agents", Finn had summed it up to Fudge once.

RJ slid out of the cab and looked around. "Wow! I never knew London was so huge!" He glanced down the street in both directions. "This street alone is bigger than all of Thomasville!"

"Thomasville?" Fudge repeated as she, too, slid out and onto the street.

"Yeah!" RJ confirmed as they began getting his bags out the trunk of the taxi. "You know, we grew up in Thomasville... Didn't Sammy tell you?"

"No..." Fudge answered. This was news to her. She knew why: with Sammy being a spy, she couldn't reveal too much about her life.

"Have you mentioned _us_ at all, Sammy?" RJ wondered, sounding a little annoyed.

There was a brief, awkward pause. Sammy slammed the trunk shut in a huff.

"So, growing up in Thomasville must've been pretty cool", Fudge commented. "I've heard of all the racing that went on there in the fifties."

"Yep", RJ added, not looking to Fudge as he spoke. "There are still some racing legends around. Despite what he thinks, I was _not_ named after River Scott!"

Fudge laughed.

"Have we got all the bags?" Sammy questioned curtly.

"Yeah", RJ answered.

"All right. Let's go." She put in a code on the front door and it opened. "My apartment's on the fifth floor. Well, they call it the _fourth_ floor here. The bottom floor is called the ground floor, the second floor is called the first floor and so on." She shook her head. "It took me ages to get used to that when I first moved here."

"Driving on the left is weird enough", RJ commented as they started the climb up the stairs.

"So, how _are_ things in Thomasville?"

"Pretty much the same", the seventeen-year-old reported. "The gang still goes racing sometimes, I'm still too scared to join them, Herman still peruses the town, honking and hissing at anything he doesn't like."

Sammy laughed. "That's Herman! Do you remember last time I was there, how he thought I wanted to take some garbage away from him?"

Fudge lagged behind, but it didn't matter. Once again, she felt invisible. She wondered who Herman was, but wasn't about to ask. She wasn't part of this conversation.

* * *

"What took you so long?" was the way Sammy greeted her when she entered the apartment.

Fudge didn't answer.

"Well, I've only got the one spare bedroom, so you two are gonna have to share."

"Oh!" the two exclaimed, surprised and a little uncomfortable with that revelation. "Okay..."

"Come on. I'm the oldest _and_ it's my place. It's only fair I get my own room. Besides, it's a chance for the two of you to get to know each other."

"Yeah, I guess you're right", they admitted.

"I was thinking we could hang out here for a while", Sammy went on. "RJ's probably jetlagged and wants to get settled in. Then our dinner reservation's at six-thirty."

"Sounds good!" Fudge proclaimed, trying to remain upbeat.

She and RJ headed towards the spare room.

"I hope you don't mind I took the bed on the right", Fudge began awkwardly. "I just prefer that side."

"That's fine", he assured her. There was another awkward pause. "I know this might be a dumb question, but has she... ever talked about me?"

There was a moment of hesitation. Fudge didn't want to lie to him. Besides, she feared he would quiz her on favourite foods, childhood fears or something like that. Unfortunately, that moment told RJ everything he needed to hear. He sighed in frustration.

"But she's very business!" Fudge pointed out. "She doesn't tell me much about her personal life."

He didn't answer.

 _He hates me!_ Fudge decided. _I can't believe he hates me!_

She resorted to watching him unpack in silence.

* * *

By the time he was done, it was just as well. It was six o'clock and they had to leave for their dinner reservation. The walk to the restaurant was just as uncomfortable as everything else so far. There were two conversations going on: one between Fudge and Sammy about racing and previous trips to London and one between Sammy and RJ about the latest news about Thomasville and school. It frustrated Sammy that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her two siblings to talk to each other.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Sammy was determined to fix it. When they were shown to the table, she went to the bathroom, hoping they'd start talking.

Instead, there was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"What..." RJ began shyly, studying the menu as did Fudge. "What were you thinking of getting?"

"Roast chicken."

RJ nodded. "I'm not sure what I'm gonna get. There's not much here I'd eat."

"How come?"

"I'm a vegetarian... Well, except for fish."

Fudge nodded and the two went silent again. Not only were both of them really shy, but it was just a weird situation they were in. They were complete strangers and yet they were brother and sister. They were supposed to know each other already. Fudge racked her brain for a question to ask RJ.

"When is your birthday?"

"January thirty-first."

"Cool." Fudge waited for RJ to ask her the same question, but he never did. So, she told him anyway. "Mine's June sixteenth."

It was his turn to nod. "Cool."

Nothing else was said between them.

When Sammy returned to the table, she groaned. "Are you _kidding_ me?!"

They both turned to look at her quizzically.

"You guys are supposed to be getting to know each other! Do either of you remember how to talk? It's easy!"

"It's _not_ that easy", Fudge informed her indignantly.

"Well, Fudge, why don't you tell RJ about Radiator Springs?"

"Radiator Springs?" RJ repeated, though he was looking at Sammy. "That's where Lightning McQueen lives, right?"

"Why don't you ask Fudge?"

* * *

So, Fudge began talking about Radiator Springs. Then she spoke about all of the racing trips she'd been on and little things like favourite foods and what she gets up to when she's not involved in racing (like reading and writing).

In turn, RJ told her about Thomasville. Also, at Sammy's prompting, he told her that he was about to start his senior year in high school, after which he wanted to pursue a career in photography, of course. His favourite food was chocolate cake and he loved science fiction movies and TV shows, nature (especially if he had his camera on him!), country music and telling jokes.

Both of them were either looking at Sammy or the table as they spoke. It still annoyed Sammy, but she would just have to call it progress. At least they were _talking_.

"Sorry." RJ smiled bashfully when he was done. "You were probably expecting your big brother to be a lot cooler. I'm really just a big nerd."

"So, you _are_ a nerd", Fudge agreed. "Nothing to be ashamed of." She never really understood why people thought being a nerd was such a bad thing. There were much worse things a person could be, she thought.

"I'm sure I'll get some pretty great photos to add to my collection while I'm in London", he went on, staring at the table. "I haven't done much travelling. I mean, I go to school in Florida like Sammy did and earlier this year, I studied abroad in China-"

"You did?" Sammy interrupted.

"Oh, yeah!" he confirmed. "I stayed in Beijing, but I visited some other places too. I climbed the Great Wall, learned a lot of Chinese _and_ I learned how to use chopsticks!"

"Well, it's about time! Remember all those times we went to Chinese restaurants and sushi places and you could never do it?" Sammy laughed. "Well, I actually went to China too last year."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How come you never told me?"

"Well, it was kind of a last-minute business trip, but I still got to do some sightseeing. It was pretty cool."

"Oh, yeah!" Fudge piped up. "You told me about how fun it was, climbing the Great Wall!"

Sammy gave her a kick under the table.

"Ow!" the naïve twelve-year-old yelped. "What was that for?!"

"Wait. Fudge knew and I didn't?"

Sammy tried to change the subject. "So, what did you think of the food?"

Although RJ seemed kind of hurt that Sammy never told him, but had told Fudge, the two began chatting away about their experiences in China, even talking in Chinese a little.

"Remember how we used to talk about digging a hole to China?" Sammy asked.

"Yeah! And we actually dug a hole once and Smokey fell into it!"

They were both laughing hard by then.

That left Fudge alone with her thoughts. RJ seemed so different to Sammy, who was strong and confident and dominant and who, Fudge knew, loved rock music and whose favourite food was steak. He didn't even _look_ like her because, as Fudge found out, he looked more like his and Sammy's mother whereas Sammy and Fudge looked like their father. It would've been impossible to believe that the two of them were brother and sister if it hadn't been for one thing: they both had a laidback personality, but also a sense of adventure; kind of like Fudge herself, she realised. Her brother seemed like a pretty nice guy, but still, there was something about him that really bothered her. She just didn't know what it was.

* * *

RJ was quick to retire to bed that night, what with a long flight and jet lag. Fudge didn't want to disturb him, so she hung out in the lounge with Sammy, watching TV. Neither one of them felt much like talking. They were tired too, but not tired enough to go to bed. On top of that, they were both a little annoyed.

So, Fudge was relieved when the video phone in her watch gave her a notification that her family from Radiator Springs wanted to get in touch. She leapt off the couch and into the hallway.

"Hi, guys!"

" _Hello, my angel!_ " Luigi greeted her.

" _Hey, Fudge-O!_ " Lightning added.

" _Howdy, Fudge!_ " That was Mater.

"Hi!" she repeated. Then she caught a glimpse of her watch. "Isn't it late over there?"

" _Yeah, but we wanted to stay up to find out how it was going_ ", Lightning explained. " _So, did you meet your brother?_ "

"Yeah. I... I met him."

" _Fudgie?_ " Luigi ventured. " _Is something wrong?_ "

Fudge sighed. "Things have just gotten off to a rocky start, that's all."

" _You don't like him?_ " Mater asked.

"I wouldn't say that", Fudge answered.

" _Then what is it?_ " Luigi wanted to know.

His daughter sighed. "It's complicated. He's a nice guy. It's just... I don't really know how to explain it. It's weird enough trying to get my head around Sammy being my sister. But this guy is a complete stranger, but he's my _brother_! It's weird."

" _I know, but you will try getting to know him, won't you?_ " Luigi asked.

Fudge nodded. "Yeah. Of course I will."

" _Good girl._ "

" _Maybe tomorrow will be better_ ", Lightning suggested. " _I'm sure everything will be fine once you know each other a little better._ "

"I guess so..."

" _Well!_ " Luigi announced. " _We are going to turn in for the night. We just wanted to find out how today went and let you know that we love you!_ "

"I love you guys too!"

" _Bye!_ " they all called to each other. " _Love you! See you soon!_ "

Sammy had overheard their conversation and began pondering over it. She was glad to hear Fudge say RJ was a nice guy. Then she thought about what Fudge had said: it was weird and hard to get her head around the fact that this stranger was her brother.

 _Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on them_ , she thought. _I can't expect them to bond just like that. These things take time._

She tried to keep that in mind as she went to bed that night. Fudge kept telling herself that she would make more of an effort to be sociable and try to remain upbeat the next day.

Tomorrow was another day.

* * *

Of course, RJ wanted to hit all the touristy spots in the morning. So, the three siblings were walking all over the city to see them. The first thing Sammy insisted on doing was riding the London Eye.

"The view you get of the city from up there is incredible!"

So, they went. Even though both Fudge and Sammy had ridden the London Eye several times, neither of them ever got tired of it, so they were just as excited as their brother. They were all pointing out everything they could see.

"There's Big Bentley!"

"There's Westminster Abbey!"

"We'll see that later", Sammy promised RJ just about every time one of them spotted something different.

Of course, RJ was snapping photos left, right and centre.

"How about I get a photo of you two?" he suggested to his sisters.

"Don't you wanna get in too?" Fudge asked politely.

He shook his head. "Nah. It's all right."

As the photographer, he guided the two into a good position.

"Smile!" he instructed them.

So, Sammy hugged Fudge, who hugged her back and RJ snapped their photo, looking surprised and a little hurt by the hug.

* * *

After riding the London Eye, they went around, seeing most of the attractions they promised. They visited Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Bentley and Trafalgar Square, to name a few. For a while, they were almost able to forget about their unusual situation and just have a good time. Almost.

When they returned to Sammy's apartment, Fudge collapsed straight onto the couch.

"How are you liking London so far?" she quizzed RJ.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool!" he answered. "I can't wait to see more!"

"I was thinking we could go to Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London tomorrow", Sammy piped up.

RJ nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds good to me!"

"Well, I'm gonna go in the shower", Sammy announced. She headed towards the bathroom.

"You wanna look good in case Prince Wheeliam is there?" RJ teased.

"I wonder if he'd recognise us", Fudge mused.

"Why would he recognise Sammy?" RJ wondered.

"She was at my knighting ceremony", Fudge explained.

"She was?"

Sammy looked kind of annoyed, but Fudge jumped in.

"Yeah, I told you Sammy and I met during the World Grand Prix."

"Oh, right."

"Well, he probably wouldn't recognise _me_ ", Sammy muttered, heading in the direction of the shower.

As soon as she was gone, Fudge and RJ reverted to their silent ways. It was like they still didn't know each other. After a while, Fudge put on the TV. They both knew Sammy wouldn't be happy about that, but they'd made progress that day.

* * *

The next few days were spent sightseeing around London and had more than just a few uncomfortable moments between the siblings. At Buckingham Palace, Fudge began to reminisce about her knighthood ceremony and she and Sammy began to talk about that.

"Remember how nervous you were?" Sammy laughed.

"Yeah..." Fudge giggled. "Can you blame me, though? I was gonna meet the Queen of England!"

"Well, it was adorable", Sammy commented with a big smile.

RJ didn't pay them any attention and just continued to take photos of the palace.

* * *

On another day, RJ wanted to see Abbey Road (although he liked country music the best, he still liked The Beatles). Sammy and RJ got into a huge discussion about The Beatles and even sang a couple of songs. Fudge didn't know any of these songs, so she just remained silent. Still, it was kind of cool to get a photo there.

"That was cool!" she commented on the way back. "I've been to London before, but I've never been there."

"Yeah, it's nice to explore even new parts of a city you know, Sammy agreed.

"Yeah, it was like when we went to Paris again and I got to see the Catacombs! That was pretty cool, even though I-"

"Fudge, shut up!"

"We?" RJ repeated. "You too have been to Paris together? _Twice_?"

"Thanks a lot, Fudge!" Sammy muttered.

The rest of the ride home was silent.

* * *

When they were in tourist mode, things seemed fine between them. Well, at least, the situation wouldn't bother them as much. After all, they were distracted by whatever it was they were seeing. However, as soon as they returned to the apartment, both Fudge and RJ would just shut down. They wouldn't be able to talk to each other about anything.

Finally, Sammy decided she couldn't take it anymore. She broke down and agreed to go clubbing with some CHROME agents, hoping that the two of them spending more time alone together would help.

"All right. Here's money for a pizza. No TV. I want you guys to _talk_."

"Yes, Mom!" RJ responded jokingly.

Sammy rolled her eyes and was out the door.

* * *

There was a long silence.

"So, did you have any other racing stories you could tell me about?" Fudge wondered.

"Yeah!" He paused. "Did I tell you about the time River Scott tried to use Herman as a rider crew chief?"

"I think Doc told me the story, but I don't really remember it."

"Oh, well, it's a great story!" RJ laughed.

* * *

Two hours later, the two younger siblings were finishing up the last bits of a cheese pizza and laughing.

"So, of course, Lightning didn't know how to drift", Fudge explained. "So, he failed on the turn and crashed into a ravine of cacti!"

RJ laughed hysterically. "I wish I could've seen that!"

"It was pretty funny!"

"Do you ever go racing with Lightning McQueen?"

"Yeah!" she confirmed. "All the time! I wanna be racer!"

"I like _watching_ racing, but I'm not very good at doing it. I went racing with River Scott once and I threw up."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't see that!"

RJ laughed again.

Fudge smiled. She started to feel like RJ was a pretty good guy. Maybe Sammy leaving for the night was the space they needed to connect. Neither of them felt like brother and sister, but at least they were getting to know each other.

When Sammy came home, she smiled at the sight of her brother and sister getting along.

Unfortunately, this was the calm before the storm.

* * *

"I am so excited!" RJ proclaimed as they exited the tube (the underground train).

"You're gonna love Hyde Park" Sammy assured him. "Now, we need to get another train to get there. Follow me!"

The two started chattering about how much fun they were going to have and how they used talk about visiting London and Hyde Park was on the list. Once again, Fudge was starting to feel left out again, hearing them talk. These two had a lifetime of memories and knew she was never going to fit in with them like this. She could never be that close to either of them.

Perhaps they didn't need her.

It was hard to admit it, but Fudge was convinced that that was the case. Sure, Sammy was talking to her and being nice to her, but nothing had really changed between them since they made the discovery that they were sisters. Unless RJ was around. Then Fudge would feel this ache of jealousy that she couldn't shake.

Perhaps she should just give up and go home.

For a brief moment, Fudge stared at her watch, wondering if she should call Siddeley and ask him to take her home.

 _Nah_ , she decided finally. _I do like Sammy and RJ and I_ love _London. I don't wanna go home. Besides, Siddeley's probably still busy with his mission._

Unfortunately, there was a big problem. When Fudge glanced up, her brother and sister were gone.

"Great!" she groaned. She didn't know where she was supposed to go. Even though she'd been to London before, she was never exactly a good navigator, especially not in the big city.

Fudge shuffled through the crowd, trying to see if she could find either her siblings or a map that could tell her how to get to Hyde Park.

"Ow!" the twelve-year-old cried as a group of teenagers barged past her, not at all caring about her presence. A forklift had just hit her in the head, but she had to keep going. So, she just rubbed the back of her head and squeezed through a group of schoolkids about her age, who were determined to stick close to their teacher.

It didn't take her long to find the map, but she couldn't make sense of it. She'd never been very good at reading maps. That was more the thing Sally or Sarge were good at. Fudge looked around, not feeling like moving in fear of getting more lost, but at the same time, she didn't want to stay there amongst all the chaos. She considered radioing Sammy, but was quick to quash that idea; Sammy probably wouldn't appreciate using her spy watch in a crowded public space and advertising that she was a spy. The only thing she could do was wait. And wait. And wait.

* * *

"Fudge!" she heard a familiar voice call from somewhere ahead of her after a long time.

Fudge peered round a large group of Corvettes driving very slowly and talking in loud American accents. There was Sammy making her way through the crowd. RJ was right behind her.

"Thank God!" Sammy sighed with relief, hugging her. "There you are!" She let go and swatted her half-sister in the shoulder.

"Ow!" she yelped.

"What the hell is the _matter_ with you?!" Sammy scolded. "We thought you were right behind us! It wasn't until we got halfway there that we realised you weren't with us! We had to come all the way back!"

"Oh, so you _did_ notice!" Fudge muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sammy demanded.

"Nothing..." Fudge answered awkwardly.

"Come on, Fudge! If you've got something you wanna say, just say it!"

"Well... It's just that you two _have_ been talking to each other a lot-"

" _Us_ two?!" RJ asked incredulously. "What about _you_ two?! You're always talking about trips you've been on together!" He turned to his older sister. "How come you always go on trips with her instead of me?! I'm your _brother_!"

"And I'm her _sister_!" Fudge reminded him.

" _Half_ -sister!" RJ corrected bitterly. "Besides, you only found out about that a couple of weeks ago! I thought you were just friends before that!"

"We were", Fudge mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sammy repeated.

"Things were great until RJ came along!" Fudge insisted. "We were really good friends and then-"

"Then we found out we were sisters!" Sammy cut in. "Things changed!"

"Even after that, things were great! Then you introduced me to Ansel Adams here and it was downhill from there!"

"So, you're blaming _me_ for all the problems we've been having?" RJ demanded.

"Yes!" Fudge blurted out before she could stop herself.

Both Sammy and RJ gasped.

"No!" Fudge tried to backpedal, but it was too late.

"Don't blame my brother for all of it!" Sammy snapped. "You're _both_ at fault here! Neither one of you has put any effort into getting to know one another!"

"That's not true!" RJ protested.

"Oh, yeah?!" the oldest sibling scoffed, disbelievingly.

"We have! We had a pretty good time last night. Or at least, _I_ did", he added, eyeing his younger sister. "You think you know everything! Well, guess what! You _don't_! The only time we really connected was when you were out of the way!"

"So, _you're_ blaming _me_?" Sammy muttered.

RJ didn't answer, not wanting to fall into a trap like Fudge did.

Sammy groaned and cursed under her breath. "You know what? You're right! This _is_ my fault! It's my fault for believing you guys could get along! For believing we could be a real family! Ha! Boy, wasn't I an idiot!"

She spun on her heel and headed towards the train. The two younger siblings followed wordlessly. All of them were aware of people staring at them, but tried to ignore them.

A bunch of cars whispered about them in French, stunned by what they'd just seen.

"I ride the tube every bloody day", an older British man commented to anybody who was listening (a group which mostly consisted of tourists). "It's always interesting, but never as interesting as _that_!"

"What the hell was _that_?!" a young female British accent wondered.

"I think they're recreating a scene from _The Long Road_ ", her friend answered. "You know, that American soap opera? Oh, my God! Have you seen it?"

"Yes! Last night's episode was absolutely brilliant! When Jerry broke out of prison to stop Hope from marrying Carlos!"

Ignoring them wasn't exactly easy, though.

* * *

The Rose siblings didn't enjoy their day visiting Hyde Park. None of them were really paying any attention to what they were seeing and they never spoke. On occasion, one of them would shoot one of the other two (or sometimes both of them) a murderous glance. They kept this up until it was time to go and they headed back to the tube without a word. Luckily, nobody got lost this time. They stayed close enough together that they knew where they were going and didn't get separated by the crowds, but far enough apart that they didn't have to speak.

Thank God there was a surprise waiting for them when they returned to the CHROME flats.

"Finn!" Sammy exclaimed. "Holley!"

"Luigi! Guido!" That was Fudge.

"L- Lightnin' McQueen?!" RJ gasped. "And Sir Tow Mater?!"

"Hey!" Lightning greeted him with a smile. "You must be Fudge's brother."

"Yeah, I'm RJ!"

"Nice to meet you, RJ. I'm Lightning. Well... I guess you already know that."

"And these are my colleagues, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell", Sammy introduced them in a glum monotone.

"Nice to meet you", both British spies offered politely.

"So, you're the Finn who likes _Doctor Who_ as much as I do?"

"And you're the little brother who likes _Doctor Who_ as much as _I_ do?"

"And these are my adoptive parents, Luigi and Guido", Fudge added in the exact same tone, looking anywhere, but at her half-siblings.

"Nice to meet you", Luigi greeted him.

Guido echoed this in his native tongue.

"You seem like nice people", RJ remarked. "Makes me wonder what went wrong with the daughter you've raised."

They both gave him questioning looks, but Fudge spoke before they could say anything.

"And you already know Lightning and Mater.

"Howdy!" Mater piped up. "I can't believe ya know who I am!"

"Are you kiddin'? The World Grand Prix scandal was big news! And I'm a racin' fan, so of course I heard about it."

"He lives in Thomasville", Fudge blurted out.

"Oh, yeah!" Lightning recalled. "I remember when Fudge was gonna be taken away by social workers, they said she had a brother and sister who lived in Thomasville."

For a second, Fudge was angry and hurt that Lightning knew and she didn't, but she could tell the thought had only just come to him. He probably hadn't remembered.

"So, yer Fudge's other brother!" Mater went on. "She's me and McQueen's little sister too and now she's yers too!"

"I guess", RJ muttered halfheartedly.

"What are you guys doing here?" Fudge wondered.

"Well, we've just finished up a business trip", Finn explained, "and we thought we'd visit Radiator Springs on the way home. Mater, McQueen, Luigi and Guido told us they wanted to visit you in London, so here we are."

"We wanted to meet RJ", Luigi added.

"The others wanted to come too", Lightning informed Fudge, "but they've got stores to run."

"So, what did you all do today?" Holley wanted to know.

"We went to Hyde Park", Fudge answered.

Finn nodded. "I love it over there. Did you have a good time?"

There was a moment of hesitation from all three siblings.

"Sure", RJ replied.

"I guess", Fudge chimed in.

"Not really", Sammy muttered.

The six vehicles exchanged puzzled, concerned glances.

"Sammy, why don't you come out for drinks with Holley and me?" Finn suggested. "Fudge, you stay here with your parents. McQueen, Mater? Are you two okay taking RJ to the Tailback Café? Remember where that is?"

"Yes and yes", Lightning confirmed. "Come on, RJ."

"Are there good vegetarian options there?" the seventeen-year-old questioned, putting his fleece jacket back on and following the race car and tow truck. "I don't eat meat."

"Yep", Lightning assured him. "Our friend Fillmore's vegan and he found stuff there he likes."

* * *

"How are things _really_?" Luigi wanted to know after the three had ordered sushi at Fudge's request and the two Italians had sat their daughter down on the couch.

"What do you mean?"

"Fudgie, we can tell when something is bothering you", Luigi informed her gently. "I think it is parental instincts. Anyway, will you please tell us what is wrong?"

"(You know we love you and we always just want to help you)", Guido added.

So, the twelve-year-old poured out her feelings about how weird it was with this stranger being her brother, even though her fathers knew all of that. Then she told them about how close Sammy and RJ seemed and how she had come into their lives too late.

"I'm never gonna be that close to either of them", she declared sadly. "They don't need me."

Luigi gave her a shocked, sad look. "Is that really what you think?"

Fudge nodded sadly. "Yeah."

"(Of course they do!)" Guido insisted. "(You are their sister!)"

There was a moment of silence.

"Fudgie, you remember my family in Italy, no?" Luigi began.

"Yeah?" Fudge wondered where he was going with this.

"Do you remember how big my family is?"

"Yeah?"

Fudge knew that Luigi's father had died when he was three. Though, he had his mother, plus four brothers and two sisters (Luigi was the youngest) and on top of that, his aunts and uncles and many, _many_ cousins. Later in life, he acquired tons of nieces and nephews and his cousin's babies (which had broken his heart at first because all he wanted was a child of his own). Then, of course, there was Guido too, who became like part of the family after he was abused by his own parents and met Luigi, who took the little forklift under his wing.

"Well, I have a family in Italy and we love each other very much", Luigi explained. "But then I moved to America and found Radiator Springs where I found a family I didn't know I had. My heart made room for them. And then my heart made room for you too when you came along."

Luigi paused and locked his brown eyes onto his daughter's blue-grey ones.

"I know that this is difficult for you and I know it will not be magically better, but if you let them, then I am sure Sammy and RJ will find room in their hearts for you."

Fudge was silent for a while, mulling over that.

"It won't be quite the same as what they have", she murmured softly.

"Maybe, maybe not", Luigi told her. "But I am sure it will still be something very special."

* * *

"So, you guys really think of Fudge as your little sister?" RJ questioned, looking up from his menu.

Mater nodded. "Yep."

"Why?"

Lightning looked up from his menu, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Based on what I've seen, I can't see Fudge being little sister material at all."

"Look", Lightning began, "I can't pretend to understand what's going on with you and Fudge and Sammy, but Fudge is the best little sister a guy could ask for. If you give her another chance, she'll show you."

"I don't want to give her another chance."

"Why not?" Mater asked.

"Look, you seem like nice guys, but I don't wanna get into this right now", RJ protested. "I don't wanna talk about Fudge. Besides, I barely know you."

"Yeah, but we wanna help you", Lightning countered. "And let me put it this way: Fudge is your little sister, Fudge is our little sister. Which basically makes _us_ brothers too."

RJ pondered over that. "I guess I never thought about it like that." He grinned at the thought of being Lightning McQueen and Sir Tow Mater's brother.

"So, what's up?"

RJ was silent for a moment before sighing. "I guess it's just weird. I've seen Fudge on TV before, but I didn't really _know_ anything about her. _Now_ , she's my _sister_."

"That's exactly what Fudge done said!" Mater exclaimed.

"You see?" Lightning added. "Fudge is feeling the exact same way about this as you are!"

"I guess..." RJ murmured.

"She done said you were a nice guy too!" Mater went on.

RJ's dark blue eyes softened. "She really said that?"

"Yeah."

The conversation was interrupted by a waitress taking their order, but as soon as she was gone, the seventeen-year-old human looked back at the two vehicles.

"The other thing is... it's like there's this whole other side to Sammy that I don't know about, but Fudge does. I guess that's the other thing I've been mad about."

"Well, it's not exactly Fudge's fault", Lightning explained. "She just... stumbled across that side of Sammy by accident. If she hadn't, she wouldn't be a part of it either. Sammy just doesn't like to mix business with personal."

"So I've heard."

"Like I said, Fudge really is the best little sister you could ask for", Lightning insisted. "You'd be very lucky to have her in your life. I know I am. I'm so unbelievably glad I came to Radiator Springs and found my true family."

"Your true family?" RJ repeated, confused.

"Well, yeah. I was an only child and my parents were kind of like your dad from what I've heard."

"I haven't seen my dad since I was four", RJ commented glumly.

"Okay. Maybe they weren't _quite_ that bad, but they were still obsessed with work and I didn't see them very often. You know, because they'd be working late or on business trips. Plus, they didn't support the racing. Not because it was dangerous, but because it wasn't 'practical' enough for them. When I moved to Radiator Springs, I had a family who was just... there. For me. That's Fudge. She's endlessly loyal."

"Must've been pretty tough", the human sympathised. "With your mom and dad... What about friends?"

"Well, sure, I was popular in school. After all, I was the star of the track team, believe it or not", he added jokingly, making all of them laugh. "But I didn't have any _true_ friends. It wasn't until, again, I came to Radiator Springs that I found that."

"Radiator Springs seems like a pretty cool place."

Lightning nodded in confirmation. "It is. You'd love it there." There was a pause. "But that's enough about me! Fudge tells me you're a photographer?"

* * *

"Why haven't things been going well between you three?" Finn quizzed Sammy once they were settled into the bar and sipping drinks.

Sammy slammed down her glass of Guinness. "I never said-" she began.

"You didn't have to", Finn interrupted. "I saw the way you were all acting. Something's wrong. And I would like to know what."

Sammy took another swig of her drink, swallowed and sighed. "It was a mistake getting those two together."

"How so?" Holley wondered.

"They can't speak to each other. They're both so socially awkward!" Sammy vented. "I feel like I'm constantly being put in the middle or forcing them to talk to each other. Plus, Fudge keeps almost letting it slip that I'm an agent." (Sammy had been yelling, but quietened down for that part.) "And they're jealous of each other, but neither one of them will admit it."

"Perhaps things are difficult right now, but they're each other's siblings, not just yours. You couldn't just never introduce them to one another", Finn reasoned.

The American woman sighed. "I guess that's true."

"At the end of the day, you love them both, don't you?" Holley asked.

"Yeah, of course I do."

"Well, then you should be thankful to have them in your lives", Holley pointed. "You have a family, which means you can get through this."

"You have even found a part of your family you didn't know you had", Finn chimed in. "And that's a very special thing."

Silence reigned over the three spies.

"Something tells me you're talking from experience", Sammy ventured finally.

Finn flinched. "What makes you say that?"

"You ain't the only one who's good at reading people, Finny boy. It's part of our job... What is it?"

"Well... I haven't told you this, but... I was an orphan growing up."

Sammy's eyes widened. "You were?"

"You were?" Holley echoed.

Finn nodded. "My parents were spies too and they were killed in a mission when I was very young. I don't even remember them."

The two women were looking at him sympathetically.

"I was in care homes and foster homes until I was sixteen. Then I was on my own."

"Then what happened?" Holley wanted to know.

"For a long time, I didn't know what to do, but then I received a telegram from CHROME, inviting me to start training at the academy. My parents were two of their best agents, so they wanted me. Of course, I accepted."

"Wow!" Sammy exclaimed. "You're like Harry Potter, only you're a spy instead of a wizard!"

Finn chuckled. "In a nutshell, yes."

Things got serious once again.

"I had no idea", Holley remarked sympathetically.

"Well, that's because I never told you", Finn pointed out. He looked Sammy in the eyes. "I'm like you. I don't like to mix my personal life with my work life. Unfortunately, that's what's happened by introducing Fudge and RJ. I don't think I need to tell you that's one of the reasons why you've been having problems." He sighed. "What I _do_ need to tell you is I believe the mistake was introducing them here in London. That's where your work life is. And Thomasville is where your personal life is."

Sammy pondered over those words when she returned back to her apartment. Fudge was asleep in the spare room and RJ was asleep on the couch. Mater was staying with Holley while Lightning, Luigi and Guido were staying with Finn.

Finn was right, Sammy decided, peering at her sleeping siblings. They should go somewhere else to talk and bond. In a flash, the human woman raced to her laptop and fired it up, eager to book flights and accommodation for the very next day. She knew where to go.

* * *

"Wake up, you guys!"

RJ sat up on the couch sleepily. "Sammy, it's six o'clock in the morning!"

"Well, you and Fudge have to pack and we gotta get a cab! There could be traffic and, of course, we have to check in and get through security! And you'll want breakfast as well! Let's go!"

"What's going on?" Fudge mumbled sleepily, stumbling out of the spare room, eyes still half-closed and her hair a mess.

"Come on! Start packing! We gotta head to the airport!"

"Airport?" Fudge repeated. "What for?"

"You're not sending us home early, are you?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Sammy asked nonchalantly. "We're going to Scotland."

"We're what?" Fudge asked in surprise.

"Going to Scotland. For three days."

"Why?" RJ wondered.

"Well, because our grandmother is from Scotland and I thought it would be nice to get in touch with our heritage."

"That's not gonna involve haggis, is it?" Fudge questioned.

Sammy laughed. "Of course it is!"

"We have English ancestors too, you know", RJ reminded her.

"Oh, I know", Sammy assured him. "I just think it'll be nice to take a trip away together. Now, come on! I wanna be out the door in forty-five minutes!"

* * *

The taxi ride to the airport and the plane ride to Edinburgh, Scotland was mostly quiet. Occasionally, someone would ask a question about the trip, which either one or both of the others would answer. Things were still a little tense from the day before.

"I've never been to Scotland before", Fudge had remarked excitedly as they exited the taxi at the airport and began unloading their luggage.

"Really?" RJ muttered. "Sammy's never taken you on your many trips together?"

That was the end of that.

* * *

After their flight and dropping their bags off at their accommodation, Sammy was quite eager to get started on the sightseeing. Although the siblings were still quiet, they thought Scotland was pretty cool. After taking a walk through the city, just taking in the sights, they arrived at Edinburgh Castle.

"Wow!" Fudge exclaimed, gazing up at it.

"It's cool, isn't it?" Sammy agreed.

RJ didn't say anything. He was busy snapping away.

As they walked around the castle, Sammy cleared her throat.

"Guys?" she began. "I think... while we're here, it would be a good idea to talk about the situation. I know things have been a bit... strange, but let's just get it all out in the open."

Fudge nodded. "All right."

"All right", RJ echoed.

"Fudge, why don't you go first?"

"Well, I guess it's just hard for me because you guys are so close. I mean, you've known each other for all of RJ's life. You grew up together. Now, I've... come to the party too late and that makes me feel kind of... left out."

"I guess that would make things tough on you", Sammy realised. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because... _Because_ I feel left out! I don't feel like I'm part of this family and I don't know if I ever will!"

Sammy nodded. "RJ?" she prompted.

"Sammy, you've been my only sibling for seventeen years. Now... now, I just have to get used to the fact that I share you with someone else."

"Kind of like how you used to get jealous of all my friends. Remember when you tried to come to the movies with me, Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita by trying to fit into my backpack?" **(AN: I may have been listening to "Mambo No. 5" when I wrote that part! XD)**

"Right, but you weren't related to those girls. This is different."

"I guess..." Sammy sighed. "Well, I think you've both seen that I tend not to mix business with personal, but this week... I think they may have come together a little bit, which has made things all the more difficult." She paused. "Look, things haven't been easy, but the only way this is gonna work is if we _make_ it work. We're just gonna have to fight to get past this. Like I do at work."

The younger two mulled over that.

"I can do that", Fudge decided finally.

"Me too", RJ agreed.

"Great!" Sammy grinned. "Now, we've got three days in Scotland and another four days in London ahead of us. Let's make those count!"

"Do you think we could go to Hyde Park when we get back to London?" RJ requested. "I'd love to see what it looks like when I'm not angry."

"I guess this means I'm gonna start seeing more of the personal side now, aren't I?" Fudge commented.

"Damn right you are!" Sammy slipped her arm around the twelve-year-old. "Because you're my sister! I'm not gonna be all business all the time now."

"Speaking of business!" RJ exclaimed abruptly. "I forgot to tell you! I sold one of my photos last night! One of the photos I took from the London Eye."

Fudge was amazed. "Really?!"

"That's great, little brother!" Sammy congratulated him. "Who bought it?"

"Lightning McQueen!"

"Really? My brother Lightning?" Fudge questioned.

"Yep."

"Wow!"

RJ looked to his older sister. "Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"Lightning told me Fudge stumbled on the business side of your life by accident. And you take her on all these business trips..."

"Oh, yeah. Fudge is a big help on my business trips."

"But you're an insurance agent. What kind of twelve-year-old knows anything about insurance?"

"Well, you see-" Fudge began.

"No, Fudge", Sammy cut her off. "It's okay. I'll tell him."

"Tell me what?"

Sammy's blue eyes darted from side to side. Then she leaned in close to her brother and took a deep breath. "I'm not an insurance agent, RJ. I'm a _secret_ agent."

"You mean... like a spy?"

Sammy nodded.

The seventeen-year-old paused for a moment. Then he burst out laughing. "You? A spy?! I don't believe it!"

Sammy flipped out her agent badge. "Believe me now?"

RJ's eyes widened.

"I was one of the agents assigned to the World Grand Prix case." It was Sammy's turn to burst out laughing. "Funny story. Fudge thought I was _stalking_ her at first!"

The youngest sibling's face turned beet red as Sammy told the story.

"Wow! You're like a female James Bond!" RJ declared.

His big sister laughed. "That's not the first time I've heard that." She looked at her watch. "Come on! We better hurry if we wanna actually _look_ at this castle _and_ make our dinner reservation."

All three glanced up, remembering where they were: Edinburgh Castle.

"Let's go!" Fudge ran off, trying to imagine one of her ancestors (maybe a girl about her age who looked just like her) standing before this castle hundreds of years ago. She doubted she was related to royalty, but maybe someone who worked for the monarchs or was friends with them. It was kind of cool to imagine. After all, a couple of months ago, she barely knew anything about her family. Now, here she was with her half-siblings, getting in touch with her heritage.

"Are you sure it was okay to tell RJ?" the twelve-year-old quizzed Sammy as they stood before the castle. Their brother was stood by them, taking photos with every step closer.

"It's fine, Fudge", the rainbow-haired woman assured. "Really."

"But I thought-"

"It's _fine_ ", Sammy interrupted, reaching into her leather jacket, "because... I can use _this_!" She produced what looked like a plastic water gun. "To wipe his memory!"

RJ whipped around. "Wait! What-"

Too late. The deed was done.

RJ looked around for a moment, blinking. Then his eyes widened. "Speaking of business! I forgot to tell you! I sold one of my photos last night!"

"Why don't you tell us as we take a walk?" Sammy suggested. "We'll talk and start over again."

"Okay", RJ agreed, starting off.

His sisters hung back for a moment.

"If you wipe his memory just a little bit more, we really _could_ start over!" Fudge pointed out, giggling.

Sammy laughed, but put on her responsible big sister voice. "Now, you're just pushing it, young lady!"

 **The End**

 **Well, I kinda like RJ and I hope you guys do too. I decided to make him call himself RJ because, with a combination of canon and my OCs, there would be too many Rivers and Juniors and I thought that might get confusing.**


	21. An Old Friend Returned

**I don't really celebrate Halloween and it's not that much of a big deal where I live, but still I thought it would be fun to create a Halloween special of _Tales from Radiator Springs_.**

 **Now, I'm not sure if I can actually imagine something like this happening, so it could possibly be an AU story, but I thought it would be an interesting thing to write.** **Even if I don't love this story.**

 **An Old Friend Returned**

"Do we really have to do this?"

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, this isn't exactly my idea of fun."

"Me neither."

"Fine! If you two is scared, then I'll go on by myself!"

"We're not scared! We just don't want to!"

A tow truck led a race car and young human girl of ten out of the comfort of the neon lights, loud music, talking and laughing. Neither the race car nor human wanted to go, but the tow truck insisted. Where were they going? Well, legend has it, a glowing orb of blue translucent light haunted that very stretch of Route 66, known as the Ghostlight. And the tow truck insisted that tonight was the perfect night to go and look for it.

 _"Halloween night?!"_ the race car asked in disbelief. "You can't be serious, Mater!"

"Of course I'm serious, Lightnin'!" Mater insisted. "And you and Fudge is comin' with me!"

Lightning looked at the ten-year-old human girl beside him. Her eyes widened. "No way!" she protested.

"Come on, Fudge! It'll be fun!"

"No way!" she repeated.

"Why is you so scared?"

It was complicated. There were a few reasons Fudge was scared. First of all, she was scared of the Ghostlight. She hadn't forgotten when the others had pranked Mater when she was six and then she swore she saw it. Besides... Well, the second reason was the complicated one. Doc Hudson had passed away earlier that year, only a few months ago. Fudge still hadn't quite accepted that yet. So, for her, at that moment, the topic of ghosts was a very sensitive one.

Lightning didn't seem too thrilled for the same reason, but Mater was a master of persuasion and somehow, all three of them were on the outskirts of town, looking for the Ghostlight. Fudge and Lightning made sure to stick close to Mater.

"You have the only headlight between the three of us!" they pointed out.

Mater didn't mind. He knew he was the leader of this operation.

* * *

"How do we _find_ the Ghostlight?" Fudge wondered.

"That there's easy!" Mater replied. "What did Sheriff say is the one thing that angers the Ghostlight more than anythin' else?"

"The sound of clanking metal..." Fudge recalled. "Mater, _no_!" She didn't think he'd been serious about finding the Ghostlight. She just thought it was a bit of fun.

"Why not?" he asked innocently.

"It does seem kind of..." Lightning trailed off, looking for the right word. "Dangerous."

"Dangerous?!" Mater repeated with a laugh. "It's jus' a bit of fun!"

"But what if the Ghostlight appears?" Fudge wondered. "Aren't _you_ scared of the Ghostlight?"

Mater hesitated for a moment, remembering the prank everyone had played on him four years ago. "I ain't scared!" he argued. " _You_ is!"

* * *

The trio rolled through the desert. Mater kept clanking his tow hook against his truck bed, making as much noise as he could.

"Mater, _please don't_!" Fudge begged.

"Come on! I told you we was gonna look fer the Ghostlight!"

"I wish we'd stayed at the party!" she commented.

Every year, there was a party at Flo's on Halloween night. All three of them were still in their costumes from said party. Mater was dressed as a pirate, Fudge was an astronaut (she had been fascinated by space lately after learning about it as part of her homeschooling) and Lightning was a cowboy.

"Them cars at the party is jus' a bunch of scaredy-cars!" Mater insisted. "Let's keep goin'!"

As Mater rattled his tow hook, Fudge saw a light in the distance.

"What's that light?!" she whimpered.

Mater screamed. "It's the Ghostlight!"

Lightning looked around. "I don't see anything."

"Right there." Fudge pointed with a trembling finger.

Lightning rolled a little closer to inspect the source of light.

"Don't go, McQueen!" Mater wailed. "We is never gon' see you again!"

"It's just the moonlight reflecting off an old hubcap!" he called.

Mater laughed weakly. "I knew that!"

"At least it's not the Ghostlight!" Fudge tried to slow her breathing down.

"I guess we ain't gonna find the Ghostlight here!" Mater sighed in disappointment. "Why don't we go look somewhere else?"

"All right, buddy", Lightning agreed. "Where would you suggest?"

* * *

"All right! We agreed to look for the Ghostlight with you tonight, Mater, but we are not doing _this_!"

"You can't let me go in there alone!" Mater protested.

"None of us are going in there", Fudge murmured quietly.

The three of them were in front of the Enchanted Forest. It wasn't the quiet, peaceful, beautiful part of the Enchanted Forest that Fudge knew and loved. It was a dark, scary part of the forest. She didn't want to go in there. However, after a lot of arguing, Mater's powers of persuasion won out. He seemed one hundred per cent serious about going in.

"It's the perfect place fer the Ghostlight to be!" he pointed out.

"Well, I guess I can't let you go alone", Lightning sighed, admitting defeat.

"You're crazy!" Fudge groaned, but she didn't want to be alone either. So, she ventured into the forest after him and Lightning. "You owe us, Mater!"

"It's time like these where I wish I had headlights!" Lightning grumbled.

"Maybe you should get some", Fudge suggested.

"Race cars don't need headlights!" he protested.

"Well, it looks like they do."

* * *

All three of them froze when they heard a sound coming from further into the woods.

"What was that?!" Fudge demanded fearfully.

They all remained silent, trying to listen to the noise. There it was again. It sounded like some kind of weird moaning noise.

"Let's get out of here!" Fudge wailed.

"I'm sure it's nothing", Lightning tried to comfort her.

"I don't know about that!"

The noise got louder.

"It could be the wind", Lightning tried to convince Mater and Fudge- and himself.

However, not one of the three was convinced when a series of flashing lights appeared amongst the trees. They were blue lights. The Ghostlight was blue.

"It's the Ghostlight!" Mater shrieked.

Fudge screamed.

"I don't think it's the Ghostlight, guys!" Lightning assured them, though his voice was shaking.

"Then what _is_ it?"

All of a sudden, they heard menacing laughter amongst the moaning. Amidst the bright lights, there were some movements in the shadows.

"Wait a sec..." Lightning murmured softly.

He crept closer into a darker section of the woods, hidden away by trees and bushes. Parting the vegetation, he came face to face with a group of half a dozen teenagers, who were messing around with flashlights and their headlights.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Hey! It's Halloween night!" a pickup truck boy pointed out. "We're just having fun!"

"Doing what?"

"Telling scary stories", a dark-haired human girl answered as if it were obvious. "This is the perfect atmosphere!"

"Yeah, we were trying to set the scene!" the pickup truck added.

"Well, you're scaring the kid!" Lightning gestured to Fudge, not wanting to admit that he and Mater had been scared too.

"Well, what's a kid doing in the woods on Halloween night?" a red muscle car questioned. He grinned sinisterly. "Doesn't she know these woods are... _haunted_?!"

"They are?!" Fudge asked in fear.

The teenagers laughed.

"Don't listen to them, Fudge-O!" Lightning scooped her up onto his hood and she climbed onto his roof. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Stupid teenagers!" Fudge shouted angrily in their direction as they drove off. "I hate teenagers!"

"Well, in three years, you're gonna _be_ one", Lightning pointed out.

The ten-year-old shook her head violently. "I don't want to be! And when I am, I won't be as stupid as them!"

"That's what they all say", Lightning informed her.

Fudge made a face. "Can we go home now?"

"No!" Mater protested. "I got one more place I wanna look!"

"Do we _have_ to?!" Fudge groaned.

"Jus' one more!" Mater pleaded.

Fudge groaned again. "Okay. _Fine_!"

* * *

"Why would the Ghostlight be here?" Fudge wondered.

"Yeah, it doesn't really strike me as a race fan", Lightning added.

"Well, this is where I wanna look!" Mater insisted.

Where were they? At Willy's Butte, of course. It was dark and quiet, with the only source of light being from Mater's one headlight.

Fudge and Lightning exchanged a look and shrugged. "Okay..."

Mater kept clinking the metal of his too hook and truck bed together, calling out, "Ghostlight! Where are you! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

The other two just stood there, their patience vanishing gradually as the tow truck kept this up for almost an hour.

"Well, I guess the Ghostlight's not here", Lightning spoke up, hoping Mater would give up.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. "But it's Halloween night! Why ain't it showin' up on Halloween night?"

"I don't know, Mater, but it's late. Fudge is tired and we're both cold. Why don't we head on over to Flo's for some hot oil? And cocoa for Fudge?"

Mater thought about that.

"Okay", he decided finally.

"Thank you! Now, finally, we can get out of-"

"Wait a sec!" Fudge cried abruptly.

Lightning groaned. "What now?"

"I think I saw something."

"What?"

"A blue light..."

Mater screamed. "It's the Ghostlight!"

"Mater, there's no such thing as the Ghostlight. Or _ghosts!_ " Lightning insisted. He turned to Fudge. "It must've been a car's headlights or a human with a flashlight."

"I didn't see anybody!" the girl insisted.

"All right. Where was the light?"

"There!" Fudge pointed with a shaking finger.

"I don't see anything!"

"It's gone now."

Lightning sighed, not believing a word of it. "Right."

"It really _was_ there!" she blurted out.

The race car rolled his eyes. "Guys, look! The only reason I agreed to this was because I thought it would be a bit of fun on Halloween night. Apparently, you guys are serious about this, but _ghosts and ghostlights don't exist_ , all right? We're not gonna see-"

* * *

As if on cue, a bright blue light appeared in front of them. This unnatural blue glow by the starting line of the dirt track.

Mater screamed again. "It's the Ghostlight!"

"Oh, my gosh!" Lightning gasped. He had no explanation for what this might be.

"What's it doing?!" Fudge wondered.

Somehow, the light was changing shape. It appeared to be taking on a particular new form. When the trio saw what- or rather, _who_ \- the form was, they couldn't believe their eyes.

"No _way_!" Lightning gasped softly.

"Dad-gum!" a stunned Mater breathed.

"Is that who I think it is?!" Fudge murmured.

It appeared as though it was. The Ghostlight had taken on the form of Doc Hudson!

The three of them couldn't say anything else. There was a part of each of them that wanted to approach, to see if what they were seeing was real. Maybe they could even talk to him. Yet not one of them spoke or moved. All they could do was stare in disbelief, rooted to their spots. He was the same cobalt blue Hudson Hornet with racing decals on his sides. The only difference was now, he was surrounded by a blue glow.

Doc started up his engine. It sounded exactly the same as if he were alive, before he was sick. Then he was off! Fudge and Lightning each experienced a sense of deja vu when they saw him race with wide eyes and open mouths. It was like the first time they ever saw him race. The only difference was there was no dust trailing behind him.

When he got to the turn that had wiped Lightning out so many times, they all came a little closer.

"Turn right to go left!" Fudge and Lightning exclaimed in unison.

And that was exactly what he did. He drifted across the dirt gracefully and it almost felt like time stood still as Lightning, Mater and Fudge all watched in amazement.

* * *

Doc ran a couple more laps before coming to a stop. He smiled to himself. Lightning rolled forward and gestured for Mater and Fudge to follow.

"Yeah", the ghostly car whispered quietly. "I still got it!"

"I can't believe it!" Lightning murmured softly, catching the Hudson Hornet's attention. "It's really you!" He hesitated for a moment. "Isn't it?"

Doc stared at him for a long time. "Lightnin' McQueen, you've really gotta stop spyin' on me when I'm racin'!"

"So..." A smile spread across Lightning's face as his eyes widened. "It _is_ you!"

Doc was silent for a long time.

"Yeah", he admitted finally. "It's me."

"But... how?" Lightning wondered.

"Where did you think people went after they died?" Doc quizzed him.

"I don't know", he admitted.

"I haven't gone far", Doc assured the trio. "I'm always there, lookin' after you all."

" _Always?!_ " Fudge repeated, sounding a little uncomfortable.

"Well, not _always_ always", Doc clarified. "I'm not there when you go to the bathroom or anythin'", he added with a chuckle. "Just around town, makin' sure you're all safe."

Fudge looked _very_ relieved. However, her face took on a look of horror quickly.

"So... You know how I acted when you died? And everything I did."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry I-"

"It's all right, Fudge. I'm the one who's sorry about that."

"Why?" the ten-year-old asked, puzzled.

Doc sighed. "I didn't tell you I was dyin' because I thought it would be easier for you. If you knew, I was afraid you'd just be scared and upset instead of enjoyin' our last few days together. I wanted to keep seein' your beautiful smile for as long as possible."

Fudge couldn't help smiling.

"That's the one! So I didn't tell you. Now, I know I should've told you from the start. At least you would've understood. Maybe you wouldn't have been so mad at me if you understood."

Fudge nodded slowly.

"I'm proud of all of you", Doc went on. He looked straight at Lightning. "I was afraid you would quit racin' after I left."

Lightning scoffed jokingly. "Yeah right!"

The two of them laughed.

"Seriously, though", Lightning continued. "It was hard, but at the end of the day, I love racing and I kept everything you taught me in mind."

Doc nodded proudly. "I'm glad." He looked at Fudge and Mater. "And you two are doin' a good job of the pit crew."

They smiled. "Thanks!"

* * *

They talked for a little while about the things that had happened since Doc's death.

Finally, Lightning took a deep breath. "Doc?" he ventured. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Anything."

How come you came back tonight?"

"It's Halloween night", Doc explained. "A lot of us come back."

"Us?" Mater repeated.

"Ghosts", Doc clarified. "I thought about comin' to see you, but I didn't wanna freak anyone out. I'm glad you three found me."

Lightning grinned. "So are we."

"Now!" Doc announced. "How 'bout a race before I go?"

Lightning lit up. "Really?!"

"Why not? It'll be fun!"

McQueen turned to the human girl by his side. "You up for it, Fudge-O?"

"Always!" She strapped her magnets on and got onto Lightning's roof. "Is it okay if I move your hat?"

Lightning remembered that he was still wearing his Halloween costume. "Sure, sure!" He glanced at his best friend. "Mater, you wanna send us off?"

"Sure thing buddy!" Mater drove in front of the racers. "Ready! Steady!... Stay steady... Stay steady..."

"Mater, I have to go at midnight", Doc urged him.

" **GO!** "

* * *

They were off. Just like when Doc was alive, he raced off with Lightning and Fudge by his side. They were all laughing and cheering. As they blazed across the dirt track and drifted at the turns, Fudge had completely forgotten that Doc had ever died. So had Lightning.

Abruptly, Doc let out a yell as he slid off the track. It was the same trick he'd done on Lightning not long after he arrived in Radiator Springs. This time, though, it didn't work out quite as well.

"We know you're not hurt, Doc!" Lightning called. "Ghosts can't feel pain, can they?"

"They can", Doc assured him. "Emotional pain, that is. I've felt it every day I've been a ghost, missin' each and every one of you."

"Doc, if you want me to race properly, you can't well me up like this!" Lightning sighed, trying to get rid of the tears in his eyes.

Doc laughed for a moment, but then he stopped, his face becoming serious. "Only three minutes till midnight!" he announced. "Let's make the most of it."

Lightning's face hardened into one of determination. "Yes, sir!"

"Let's go!" Fudge hollered.

So, they continued, laughing and whooping all the way.

All anybody could think was that this was a truly incredible night. Lightning, Mater and Fudge had gone off in search of the Ghostlight, but had found something even better: an old friend. They knew he would be gone in three minutes. And that the others would be wondering where they were. Yet none of them could think about that just yet. For now, racing around Willy's Butte with Doc again, they were just going to savour the moment.

 **Well, that's it. That's all I could come up with. Happy Halloween, guys!**

 **I've already started one of my Christmas specials, but I do have another one shot prepared before that.**

 **Till then, Fudge**


	22. Guido's Big Surprise

**Remember how when I posted part three of _Mater and Fudge in Paris_ , I said I had the next story finished already? Well, _this_ is the one I meant.**

 **I don't know how many of you look at my profile, but if any of you have, you'd know that this story is based on a _Cars_ book I have of the same name. I have changed some details, though and included Fudge, of course. I hope you enjoy. Once again, with what's happening in Ride, I feel like I owe you guys something a little more lighthearted.**

 **Guido's Big Surprise **

"Remember, angel", Luigi whispered to his daughter, keeping an eye out for a certain blue forklift. "We can't tell Guido about this, okay? It is a surprise!"

The seven-year-old girl nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

Luigi kissed her. "Good girl."

That was when they had to stop talking. In came Guido. He just rolled in slowly with a distracted look in his eyes. Guido had been like that for several weeks now. That was why Luigi had had the idea of surprising his best friend with a racing-themed party. They had been planning it for almost a week now and everyone- especially Luigi and Fudge- were bursting with excitement.

"Guido!" the human girl exclaimed, running towards her other father.

Guido picked her up with a soft smile and gave her a kiss. " _Buon giorno_ , Fudge." Then he put her down.

Fudge looked confused. Normally, Guido would hold her a little while longer. Plus, he didn't sound as excited as he usually was to see her.

"Today is going to be a good day, I think", Luigi commented. "Don't you, Guido?"

Guido just sighed. Then he rolled off.

"Where are you going?" Fudge wanted to know.

"(I need to get ready for work)", Guido replied, stopping to give his daughter a kiss.

"(Don't you want to stay and have breakfast with us?)" Fudge questioned. Normally, they would have breakfast over at Flo's, but they were determined to keep Guido away since that was where the party was going to be.

"(I am not hungry.)"

"Oh. Okay."

Fudge looked at Luigi when Guido had gone.

"I don't know, Fudgie", he answered her unvoiced question. "Maybe he will cheer up later." He didn't specify why in case Guido could hear them.

"Okay." Fudge nodded, but she was worried.

"Now, should we have some breakfast?" the Fiat suggested.

"Okay", his daughter agreed.

* * *

After Fudge had finished her Coco Pops; Luigi had washed and dried the dishes with Fudge putting them away and Luigi had helped the seven-year-old get dressed, they headed into the showroom of the store.

"Hey, man!" a familiar voice called out.

"Hi, Ramone!" Fudge ran towards the Lowrider, hoping _he_ would pick her up.

He did with a big smile on his face. He thought the little girl looked especially adorable that day in a white button-down shirt, denim dress and black patent leather shoes and her hair in pigtails. "Hey, Fudge! How you doin'?!"

She grinned at him. "Good!" Half a second later, she started giggling as Ramone bounced her on his hydraulics.

"Be careful, Ramone!" Luigi cautioned, but he was laughing too.

"Anyway", Ramone began as he set Fudge down, "I'm here for my new tyres."

Luigi beamed. " _Perfetto_! Guido!" he called.

"Has Guido figured out the surprise?" Ramone whispered.

"No", Luigi replied with a grin. "It is-a still a secret!"

"I haven't said anything either!" Fudge announced proudly.

"Ssh!" Luigi whispered as the forklift came into the room. Fortunately, he didn't suspect anything. "Guido, _Signore_ Ramone is-a here for his new tyres!"

Without a word, Guido headed to the storeroom.

However, when he returned, everyone was surprised to see the tyres he had. Two were completely flat and two were covered in mud.

"Guido, I put those tyres in the junk pile this morning", Luigi informed him, puzzled.

The little forklift looked at the tyres he was holding. His eyes widened as he cursed his stupidity in Italian and he hurried back to the storeroom.

Ramone watched him go. "He looks blue, man", he commented.

Fudge frowned, confused. "Of course he looks blue. He's always blue."

Ramone laughed. So did Luigi.

"What?!" Fudge demanded, annoyed that they were laughing at her. "Why are you laughing?!"

"You are so cute!" Luigi proclaimed, still chuckling as he kissed his daughter.

"What?" she repeated.

"Ramone meant that Guido looks sad", Luigi clarified.

"He does!" Fudge agreed. "He's been sad for days! I want to know why."

Luigi sighed as he kissed his daughter again. "We all do."

Finally, Guido returned with the right tyres. He got to work on changing Ramone's tyres, but everyone noticed that he was working slowly and kept sighing sadly.

"(Do you need me to help, Guido?)" Fudge offered sweetly at one point.

Guido managed a small smile at his daughter. "(You can help me if you want to, angel.)"

The human girl got right to work, changing one of Ramone's tyres. The Lowrider exchanged a concerned glance with Luigi. What was wrong with Guido?

"Thanks, man!" Ramone started heading back to his shop.

"It is no trouble, my friend", Luigi assured him. "Please come again."

"Bye, Ramone!" Fudge called, jumping up and down and waving.

"I'll see ya later, Fudge!" the Lowrider replied as he headed off.

"Okay!"

Only Guido remained silent.

* * *

Luigi turned to him as soon as Ramone was gone. "What is wrong, Guido?" he wanted to know.

Before the forklift could answer, they heard a loud voice yell, " **KA-CHOW!** "

"Lightning!" Fudge exclaimed, running towards him as he entered with Mater.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" He scooped her up before turning his attention to the two Italians. "Hey, guys! I need some new tyres and I was wondering if we could practise pit stops for my next race."

"What do you say, Guido?" Luigi asked.

Guido nodded, but he didn't look very enthusiastic.

"That sounds fun!" Fudge declared.

"All right." Lightning put her down. "Let's go."

About a minute later, everyone was ready. Lightning was prepared to drive into the makeshift pits. Guido had his wrench ready. Fudge held the Ferrari flag. Both Mater and Luigi were armed with timers.

"On your marks!" Fudge shouted. "Get set. Go!"

Lightning drove in a straight line towards Guido. "Ready, Guido?"

"He is-a ready", Luigi answered for him.

As Lightning came to a stop in front of Guido, he hollered, "Now! Go, go, go!"

Guido started on the tyres while Mater and Luigi started their timers. However, once again, Guido was working much slower than usual. Fudge was a bit confused, but she didn't offer to help this time; she knew she was supposed to just let Guido do his thing when they were practising for races.

" _Fatto_ ", he announced half-heartedly.

Mater and Luigi stopped their timers. Luigi's eyes widened.

"How long was that?" Lightning wanted to know.

"Five seconds!" Luigi and Mater answered in unison.

Guido's usual time was two point five seconds! It had taken him twice as long this time! Needless to say, everyone was surprised.

"Five seconds?!" Lightning repeated. "Are you sure that's right?

Luigi thought fast. "Guido didn't sleep very well last night. Tomorrow, he will-a be back to his-a speedy self."

Guido just looked at him with an unreadable expression. It _was_ true that he hadn't slept well the night before, but there was no way Luigi would know about that. Guido had lain awake, listening to him snoring.

Lightning nodded, but he was worried. "Well, I guess we could always try again tomorrow."

"I think that would be for the best", Luigi agreed.

"Well, then I guess we'll see you then."

The group exchanged farewells before the race car and tow truck left.

* * *

Guido never mentioned what was wrong. By then, it was lunchtime and the forklift insisted on skipping lunch to take a nap.

"Are you sure?" both Luigi and Fudge asked him repeatedly.

"(I am sure. I am not very hungry.)"

"(But you did not have breakfast!)" Luigi pointed out. "(You must be hungry.)"

"(Are you sick?)" Fudge wondered. "(Is that why you aren't hungry?)"

Guido stroked her hair. "(I am fine, angel. I just don't feel very hungry today, that is all.)"

"Okay..." Fudge wasn't convinced.

Still, Luigi and Fudge ate their second meal without Guido.

"I hope he's okay", Fudge commented.

Luigi sighed. He wanted to assure his daughter that everything was fine, but he just couldn't do that. He wasn't sure himself. "Me too."

Just as they were finishing lunch (which took about an hour because neither of them was in much of a hurry), Sally came into Casa Della Tires.

"Hi, guys!" she greeted Luigi and Fudge, kissing the latter on the forehead. She looked around. "Where's Guido?"

"He is upstairs", Luigi replied. "Do you need anything?"

"Yes. There's a customer at the motel who needs her tyres checking. I was wondering if Guido would be willing to do that."

"Fudge, will you tell Guido?" Luigi asked.

Fudge ran upstairs to do just that. When she got to Guido's room, she opened the door slowly and carefully. Guido had said he was taking a nap, so she didn't want to wake him.

The forklift chuckled as he noticed his daughter tiptoeing towards him. "(It is okay)", he informed her. "(I am awake.)"

"(But I thought you were taking a nap.)"

Guido smiled. "(Well, I wanted to try because I didn't sleep very well last night, but I still can't sleep.)"

"Oh. Okay."

"(Did you want something?)"

Fudge repeated what she heard Sally and Luigi talking about.

"Okay!" Guido kissed his daughter and rolled off. "(Just give me a second.)"

"He's coming!" Fudge shouted as she ran back down to the kitchen where Luigi and Sally were still talking.

The Porsche smiled at her. "Thanks, sweetie."

Sure enough, Guido appeared a few seconds later, carrying his toolbox.

"Come on, Guido. I'll take you over to meet her." Sally led the way out of the store.

"Guido will-a take good care of her", Luigi promised.

* * *

When they left, Luigi placed Fudge in front of the TV to watch some of her favourite cartoons. Then he went around the shop, cleaning things up.

"Fudge!" he groaned at one point. "I wish you wouldn't leave your shoes here."

He picked them up and put them in her bedroom. Only when he continued cleaning for about forty-five seconds, he found one of Guido's wrenches lying on the floor.

"You are just as-a bad as-a Fudge, Guido!" Luigi muttered to himself as he was about to put it in Guido's spare toolbox. "Fudge is-a only seven, but Guido should definitely know better."

When he opened the toolbox, Luigi's eyes widened. He found a postcard from Italy. Based on the date written across the top, it was sent to the States about a week ago. Without even bothering to feel guilty about it, Luigi read the postcard.

 _Guido,_ it read in Italian,

 _Thank you so much for your photos of Fudge. She is such a beautiful girl. My family is very well too and business has been better than we could ever have imagined._

 _I miss you so much. We all do. I wish you were here. I was so happy when you came to visit last month, but I wish you didn't have to leave. Why did you have to leave? Why can't you stay in Italy?_

 _Please don't wait too long to come back. I think about you all the time and wish we could spend more time together. Please write back._

 _Guidoni_

Luigi gasped. Guidoni was Guido's cousin, whom he loved very much. "Guido is-a homesick!" he exclaimed out loud. "That is-a why he has been so sad!"

It all made sense. Guido had been feeling down for a couple of weeks. Ever since he, Luigi and Fudge came home from their latest trip to Italy! It really must've hit him hard. Normally, it didn't because the little forklift was happy in Radiator Springs, but of course, that didn't mean he didn't miss his home country.

Hurriedly, Luigi put the postcard back in the box and called out to Fudge for her not to go anywhere before racing off to Flo's. He knew exactly what he had to do.

* * *

"He is-a sick!" the Fiat cried out as soon as he arrived at the café.

Everyone looked at him.

"Who's sick?" Sally wondered.

"Guido!" Luigi answered. "He is-a homesick for his-a family in Italy!" He told them about the postcard he found.

"You can't just go reading his mail like that, soldier", Sarge commented disapprovingly. "That's an invasion of privacy!"

"I just found it!" Luigi justified his actions. "I was-a not trying to invade his-a privacy. Anyway, I am sure he misses his home."

Everyone was silent for a while.

"Well", Sally announced finally, "Guido has a home right here in Radiator Springs too. And we're gonna cheer him up."

"That's right!" Flo agreed. "We'll just change our racin' party into an Italian party! In fact, I think I've got some Italian classics on the car-aoke machine."

"You know", Fillmore began thoughtfully, "I may have some olive oil flavoured brew."

Lightning grinned. "You can count on me to bring Italian racing flags for decorations."

The ideas came flowing in one after another. This party was really beginning to take form.

Luigi beamed. " _Grazie_. This will mean so much to Guido!"

"Speak of the devil, here he comes!" Ramone shouted abruptly.

"Guido!" Luigi raced towards his best friend.

"Luigi!" Guido exclaimed, surprised to find the Fiat directly in front of him so suddenly. He looked at him and then behind them at all of their friends at the café. "(If you are here and I am here and everyone else is there)", he nodded to the others, "(then who is watching Fudge?)"

"(That is why I needed to talk to you!)" Luigi babbled. "(Have you finished at the motel?)"

The forklift gave him a funny look. " _Si_..."

"(Then I need you to go home and look after Fudge. She was just watching cartoons when I left and I thought I was only going to be a minute, but it turns out I will be a little longer. Can you take care of her?)"

Guido's response was another odd look. "Okay..." Of course he could take care of his own daughter. Utterly confused, he drove off to head home.

As soon as Guido was gone, Luigi went to find Red. He had an idea for the big finale and he hoped the firetruck would agree.

* * *

"Fudgie?" Guido called out as he entered his home. "(Where are you?)"

"(In the living room!)"

When he got there, the forklift could see that the TV was off and Fudge was bent over a piece of paper with some crayons, coloured pencils and markers.

"(Did your shows finish?)"

" _Si_ ", Fudge replied without looking up at him.

"(Were they good?)"

" _Si_."

Guido tried to peer over her shoulder to see what she was working on. However, Fudge was determined not to let him see. She leaned in closer and wrapped her arm around the paper. Feeling oddly rejected, he left the room. He didn't go very far. He just went to the kitchen where Fudge could be alone, but she couldn't go anywhere without him knowing about it. The forklift made himself some coffee. Maybe that would perk him up a little bit.

Ten minutes later, he'd made his coffee ( _Italian_ coffee, he'd noted with some sadness, quite sure that Italian coffee tasted so much better in Italy) and was drinking it slowly when Fudge came in.

"(This is for you!)" she announced, thrusting a folded-up piece of paper at her father.

Wordlessly, Guido stared at her for a moment before unfolding the paper. It was a drawing of him, Fudge and Luigi at a racetrack. Lightning was there too with Fudge riding on his roof while the two Italians changed his tyres.

Guido's eyes filled with tears as he held out his arms to his daughter. "(Come here, angel!)"

Fudge came closer to him and he gave her a big hug, which she returned.

"(I love you so much!)" Guido informed his daughter, kissing her. "(I don't know what I have done to deserve you!)"

"(I love you too!)" Fudge kissed him. "(That's why I have been worried about you!)"

"(You have been worried about me?)" Guido asked.

Fudge nodded. "(You've been sad lately... Is it something _I_ did?)"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Guido insisted, stroking his daughter's hair and giving her another kiss. He hugged her tighter. "(Fudgie! You make me so sad that you would think this! I have just been homesick lately, that is all. I miss my home and my family in Italy.)"

"(How come?)" Fudge wondered. "(We just went to Italy.)"

"(I know and that is what has been making me think about how much I miss it there.)"

"(Are you not happy here?)" Fudge asked sadly.

"(Of course I am!)" Guido assured her gently, giving her another kiss. "(I am very happy here with you and Luigi and everyone else. I just miss Italy, that is all.)" He sighed. "(Promise me you will never move across the sea, Fudgie. I don't want you to ever break my heart like that. The way I broke my family's hearts.)"

Fudge hugged him. "(I promise.)"

Guido kissed her again. "(Good girl.)"

* * *

Luigi came back a couple of hours later and by then, it was dark.

"Luigi!" Fudge cried, rushing towards him, so he could pick her up.

"Hello, my angel!" the Fiat greeted his baby girl, cuddling and kissing her.

"I missed you!" the seven-year-old proclaimed.

"I missed you too!" Luigi bounced her on his hood for a few seconds before turning to Guido as he put Fudge down. "It has-a been a long day, eh, Guido? What do you say we go over to Flo's for some food and a sip of oil?"

Guido shook his front. "(I am not hungry.)"

"Guido, you have not had breakfast or lunch!" Luigi reminded him. "You must be hungry! I am not going to take no for an answer this time! Put Fudge's coat on and let's go!" Without waiting for a reply, he rolled off in the direction of the gas station.

 _Luigi can be so bossy sometimes!_ Guido thought, annoyed, as he put Fudge into her silver coat with grey fur lining the hood. Still, he took Fudge's hand and led her towards Flo's.

As soon as they were outside, Guido noticed that something wasn't quite right. All of the lights at Flo's were turned off. It looked as if the place was closed.

"No!" Luigi argued when his best friend had pointed that out. "Flo's never closes this early! Something must be going on! Let's go in and see!"

"(I think Flo decided to close early tonight!)" Guido insisted. "(Let's just have dinner at home tonight!)"

"Let's just see..." Luigi insisted.

Guido rolled his eyes, but he continued to follow the Fiat, still holding his daughter's hand. However, when they entered, the inside of the café was just as dark as the outside.

"(I told you there isn't anybody here!)" Guido insisted. "(The place is closed. Now, can we go home and have-)"

Before he could get any further, the lights came on.

" _Viva Italiano_ , Guido!" everyone hollered before erupting into cheers.

Guido's eyes widened as he looked all around the room. There were red, white and green balloons everywhere, Italian racing posters and posters of famous Italian landmarks.

"Did we surprise you, did we surprise you?!" Fudge quizzed her father as she bounced up and down around him.

" _Si_ ", Guido answered, kissing his daughter. He smiled at all of his friends. " _Grazie_."

Then Fudge looked around at the room, confused. "What happened to the ra-"

Luigi placed his tyre over her mouth. "I will explain later", he whispered to her.

* * *

Pretty soon, the party was in full swing with Italian music and Italian food. While Guido was busy talking to Flo and Sally, Luigi took Fudge aside. He explained why the party had changed, although Fudge already knew that Guido had been homesick.

"Now, I want Fudgie to do something very special for Luigi and Guido", the Fiat went on.

"What?" the seven-year-old wondered.

Luigi handed her a book that was so old that it was practically held together with tape. "Do you think you could read this?"

Fudge smiled. "Okay!"

"Testin', testin'!" Mater shouted into a microphone as Ramone dimmed the lights. A single spotlight shone on the tow truck. "Now, we got some great performances for y'all!" he announced. "First, Fudge is gon' read us a book in Italian."

Mater reversed back as Fudge moved into the spotlight. She opened up and began to read. First, she would read each page in Italian before switching to English for everyone else's benefit. Then, when that was done, she would show everyone the pictures. Lightning's eyes widened. He remembered this story. This was the story Luigi told Fudge on the night before she was potentially taken away by social workers. It was the story about a puppy who was taken in and loved forever by a family of cars. The story was narrated by the puppy himself.

Guido's eyes filled with tears and he smiled as he listened to his daughter read the story. Luigi had had two reasons for choosing that particular story and Guido knew both of them. The first reason was that it was one of Guido's favourite stories as a child. He loved it so much that he'd kept it into his adulthood, brought it all the way from Italy to the States on the boat and one day, read it to his own child. The second reason was what Fudge was reading from the book.

"( _Family is the most important thing in the world. Maybe I don't look like the rest of my family. Maybe I don't act like them, but that's okay. It doesn't matter. It doesn't make us any less of a family. All that matters is that we love each other to no end. And at the end of the day, that's what family is all about._ )"

When Fudge finished up reading it in English, everyone applauded her. They were all smiling. Red was sniffling and so was Sheriff, but nobody was going to point that out. Guido scooped her up and gave her a big kiss.

"(I love you, my baby!)"

Fudge beamed as she leaned into his cuddle. "(I love you too, Guido!)"

"Now, we've got one more performance for everyone!" Sally declared as she moved into the spotlight. "Red's gonna sing some opera for us!"

"Really?!" nearly everyone exclaimed, shifting their attention to the shy firetruck, who just looked embarrassed.

"You can do it, Red!" Sally whispered comfortingly, taking Red's tyre and leading him to the front of the room.

When Red was in the spotlight, he looked like he wanted to be absolutely anywhere but there. Still, he stayed as the music started up. He began to sing. It was so quiet that nobody could hear him at first. However, after about a minute or so, the singing gradually grew louder. Nobody could believe what they were hearing.

" _E bellissima_!" Luigi gasped in astonishment.

Guido closed his eyes, still holding his daughter. He felt like he was back home in Italy, listening to opera with his family. He gave Fudge another kiss.

When the song ended, everyone stared at Red in amazement.

"Red, that was just beautiful!" Sally exclaimed.

"You have-a made this night so-a very special!" Luigi added.

Red just smiled shyly.

* * *

The night went on. Flo went around, making sure that everyone had enough oil. Mater was telling Red and Lightning jokes. At one point, the tow truck eyed a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"Hey! This here tower looks a lot like the one outside Luigi's store!" he noted.

Everyone looked at the tow truck, then the poster, then each other. Then they all began to laugh.

A little while later, Fudge was fast asleep in Guido's arms and Luigi took his best friend aside.

"You are-a happy again, Guido?" he guessed.

Guido beamed and waved the Italian flag. Of course he was happy again! There was no need to be homesick when he was right at home in Radiator Springs! Sure, he missed his family in Italy and always would. Even so, he had a family he loved in the small American town too. Maybe he didn't look like them; maybe he didn't act like them, but that was okay. It didn't make them any less of a family. After all, they all loved each other to no end. And at the end of the day, wasn't that family was all about?

 **Aww! Pretty sweet, right? Well, at least, _I_ think so and I hope you guys do too! Please review!**


	23. Snow Day

**Here we go, guys! This is one of two Christmas specials I have written.**

 **As I said on my profile, this is based on a _Cars_ book I have of the same name. I've just changed the dialogue slightly, added details in and included links to _Life Could Be a Dream_.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 **Snow Day**

Mater the tow truck awoke one morning in early December to a very pleasant surprise: Radiator Springs was covered in snow!

"Whee-hoo!" he exclaimed, throwing on his winter hat. "Snow day!"

The tow truck was always excited when snow came to town, but he was particularly excited this year. Now that he had a new best friend, Lightning McQueen, who had permanently moved to town, he was determined to show the race car how to have some winter fun- Mater-style!

* * *

"Luigi! Guido!" six-year-old Fudge cried, bouncing up and down as she peered out the window.

"What is it, angel?" Luigi questioned as he and his best friend entered their daughter's bedroom.

"Look! It's snowing!" she squealed with excitement.

Luigi smiled. "Yes it is!"

"I love snow!" Fudge proclaimed. "I wanna make snow angels and a snowman and have a snowball fight! Let's go!" She started to race out the door.

"(Wait! Wait!)" Guido shouted as he chased after his daughter and scooped her up.

"What?!" she moaned.

"(I don't think you are dressed for playing in the snow)", Guido explained, carrying Fudge back into her bedroom.

Fudge was wearing flannelette pyjamas and her feet were bare.

"Let's get you into something warmer." Luigi moved over to the closet and started getting out jeans, a T-shirt, a coat and a scarf.

* * *

When Fudge was dressed, Guido and Luigi let her head straight to Flo's while they made sure there was no snow surrounding their store. That was what all of the other storeowners were doing. It was a lot of work and they knew Fudge would not want to stick around for it. She just wanted to play and that would hinder rather than help.

Finally, when the two Italians were satisfied that customers could still enter Casa Della Tires, they went to put the shovels away. It was on the way past that they noticed the calendar read December second. They knew what that meant. Immediately, their minds travelled back to where they were exactly one year earlier...

* * *

 _"Am I interrupting?" Mary Wilcox questioned as she arrived at Flo's followed by Kevin Fairchild._

 _"_ Yes _!" Luigi answered angrily._

 _"Oh, well, this shouldn't take long", Mary assured him. "I just wanted to let Brittney know that she needs to have her things packed up, so she can leave tomorrow."_

 _"_ What?! _" Luigi exclaimed._

 _Fudge started to cry. "I don't wanna go!"_

 _"My baby!" Luigi's cried, squeezing her tighter._

 _"You can't_ do _that!" Doc sounded outraged._

 _"I certainly can!" Mary insisted, sounding rather snobbish. "If I find it's in the best interests of the child!"_

 _"_ Best interests?! _" Luigi repeated incredulously. "How would you know what my daughter's best interests are?! You still have not said a word to her!"_

 _"I don't need to!" the social worker argued. "Have you even seen this town?! What kind of child, or any person, for that matter, in their right mind would want to live in this dump?!"_

 _"_ I _would", Fudge piped up._

 _"And we want her to stay too!" Luigi added. "We will not let you take her away just like that! We refuse to let you take her!"_

 _"You know something like this can have you arrested, don't you? If ACAFCA deems it necessary to relocate a child and their guardians refuse, they can, in fact, be arrested."_

 _"Fine!" Luigi didn't seem to care. "Have us arrested!"_

 _Neither did Guido, who chimed in in Italian._

 _"That is right! We will fight to keep our daughter here!" Luigi interpreted._

 _"We_ all _will!" That was Sally._

 _"That's right!" Ramone agreed. "Fudge is part of the family!"_

 _"None of us want her to leave!" Mater spoke up._

 _"Especially without any proper questionin'!" Doc added._

 _"Yeah, you'll have to have all of us arrested!" Sarge insisted._

 _"Yeah!" they all yelled._

 _"Oh, I_ will! _" Mary scoffed. "Don't you worry about_ that _!"_

* * *

A year on, Luigi and Guido had never expected the social worker incident to turn out like it did. Yet they were grateful for that. Had Lightning McQueen not shown up just in the nick of time, then their daughter would've been sent thousands of miles to an orphanage in Wisconsin.

Instead, however, Guido and Luigi got to enjoy many more Christmases and birthdays with their precious baby girl. And they couldn't wait to start.

* * *

While her fathers were busy, Fudge came racing up to Flo's.

"Whoa!" a familiar voice called out. "Careful, Fudge!"

Lightning laughed and caught the six-year-old.

"Hi!" she greeted him with a giggle.

"Hi!" he responded, still laughing himself. "Now, you gotta be careful. The snow's slippery!"

"Okay!" she agreed.

Lightning let the girl climb onto his roof and she attached her magnets.

"Let's go find Mater!" the stock car suggested. "I'm sure he's got a truck load of ideas for today!"

"Yeah!" Fudge grinned. "Last time it snowed, we built a whole family of snow people! Humans _and_ cars!"

"That sounds fun!" Lightning commented. Then he looked down the road. "Oh, here he is! Mater!"

"Hey, Lightnin'!" the tow truck hollered. "Howdy, Fudge!"

"Hi, Mater!"

"Looks like y'all is ready fer some fun in the snow!" Mater observed.

"That's right, Mater!" Lightning confirmed. "Now, what do we do first?"

Before Mater could answer, Ramone appeared. He was sporting a new snow-themed paint job: snowflakes set against an icy shade of blue.

"Wow!" Lightning exclaimed. "That looks great, Ramone!"

"Yeah, it's nice!" Fudge chimed in.

"Hey..." the stock car began thoughtfully. "Do you think you could give me a new look?"

"Sure!" Ramone answered. He eyed the race car in front of him with his artist's eye. "In fact, I think these snowflakes will go great with your shade of red."

"Really? You think?"

"Sure!" the Lowrider repeated. "C'mon over to the shop and I'll show ya!"

* * *

At first, Fudge watched in fascination as Ramone painted Lightning, but after a while, boredom got the better of her.

"When are we gonna play in the snow?" Fudge wondered impatiently.

"Soon, Fudge-O!" Lightning replied.

"I'm almost done!" Ramone added. Then he brightened. "Hey! I know what you can do while you wait."

"What?" Fudge questioned, buzzing with curiosity.

He handed her a pad of paper and a green crayon that he'd found lying around. "Start writin' your letter to Santa Car and Santa Claus. Everyone's gonna want to know what you want for Christmas." He had realised the date too.

"Okay!" Fudge agreed, taking the paper and crayon and getting to work.

So, Fudge was quiet for the rest of the time Ramone was working on Lightning, pondering over what she wanted for the big day.

As soon as Ramone was finished, Lightning rushed over to a mirror.

"How'd you like your new snow style?" the Lowrider questioned.

Lightning grinned. "It's great! Thanks, Ramone!"

"That's cool!" Mater added.

"Yeah!" Fudge chimed in, grinning.

"Now, it's time ta go dashin' through the snow!" Mater yelled.

"Let's go!" Fudge cried.

* * *

So, they went. With Fudge on Lightning's roof, the race car and his best friend made a beeline towards the biggest hill in town.

Lightning grinned. "How about a race to the bottom?" he suggested.

"Ya read my mind, buddy!" Mater responded.

"Fudge, do you wanna say it?" Lightning offered.

" _I_ wanted to say it!" Mater protested.

"You can both say it."

"On your marks!" Mater and Fudge shouted in unison. "Get set... **GO!** "

The two vehicles were off down the hill, laughing hysterically. Fudge shrieked with laughter too. Mater was in the lead, but Lightning was right behind him.

"Faster, Lightning!" Fudge ordered. "Faster!"

Lightning picked up his speed and tried to pass Mater on the left, only for the tow truck to block his pass. Lightning tried to pass Mater on the right and once again, he swerved right in front of him.

" _Snow_ way you kin win!" Mater joked.

"We'll beat you, Mater!" Fudge vowed.

"No ya won't!" he argued. "I'm da best snow racer in the-" He stopped short when he slipped on a patch of ice and started spinning around like crazy.

"You're driving backwards!" Fudge shouted once he'd stopped spinning, to find that he was, indeed, driving backwards.

"Look out below!" Mater yelled. He lost control entirely and skidded down the hill. At one point, the tow truck hit a rock and was sent airborne. He was like a cartoon character, rolling down the hill, flipping onto his roof several times. Fudge laughed hysterically.

Finally, after one last roll, Mater landed upright and crashed directly into a huge pile of snow.

"You win!" Lightning declared with a laugh, coming to a stop.

"Aww!" Fudge groaned, visibly disappointed that she and Lightning didn't win. She slid off Lightning's roof.

"Never mind, Fudge." Lightning smiled at her. "You can't win 'em all. Mater was a good competitor."

"Yay, Mater!" Fudge cheered.

"Thanks, buddy!" Mater shouted, trying and failing to reverse out of the snow pile. "Now, kin ya help me git outta here?"

Lightning laughed. "Sure."

"Wait!" Fudge cried. "I wanna jump in the snow too!"

"Fudge, no-" Lightning began.

Too late.

* * *

"That was fun!" Fudge proclaimed after Lightning had helped both her and Mater out of the snow.

"Yeah!" Mater agreed.

"Well, we wasted a little time getting you two out of there!" Lightning laughed. "So, what do we do now?"

The trio got their answer when they saw Sarge driving across a frozen lake, ever so cautiously. A bunch of the others were there, waiting on the sides. The Jeep was making sure that the ice didn't crack if they all skated on it.

"It looks okay to me", Lightning commented, frowning at the ice.

"Better safe than sorry", Sarge replied. He moved a little more before announcing, "All clear!"

It was time to skate.

* * *

Nearly everyone made a beeline towards the ice. Although, they all had varying success with skating. Sally was an excellent skater, sliding across the ice with such grace.

 _I can do that!_ Lightning thought to himself as he drove alongside her. That didn't turn out so well as he ended up spinning out several times.

Sally laughed. "You may know a lot about racing, but you've still got a few things to learn about ice skating!"

Flo and Ramone were gliding across the ice slowly while Luigi and Guido raced across it until they were both out of breath.

Fudge was unable to stand up on the ice. The second she set foot on the ice, she slipped out of control and landed directly onto her butt. Everyone thought she was going to cry, but when her fathers helped her up to her feet, she was giggling madly.

"Be careful, Fudge!" Luigi cautioned. "The ice is slippery!"

"But I can't stand up", Fudge informed him.

"Okay! Luigi has an idea." He raised one of her hands, which had a magnet attached to it and pressed it against his side and let her skate with him. The little girl giggled and was excited to skate with her father.

That was when Mater had an idea for a fun game. He attached his tow hook and cable to Guido and Luigi and towed them and Fudge, who was still holding onto Luigi's side, across the ice.

"That looks like fun!" Sally commented as they whipped past.

"Yeah, if you can keep your wheels under you", Lightning muttered, still not able to skate properly.

"All aboard the Mater Express!" the tow truck yelled. "Toot, toot!"

"Toot, toot!" Fudge echoed, laughing.

"We got speed limits on the ice too!" Sheriff reminded them. "Slow down before someone gets hurt!"

At that moment, Fudge couldn't hold on anymore, even with the magnets. She slid across the ice, propelling forward. Finally, once again, she crashed into a huge pile of snow.

"Not again!" Lightning groaned as he, along with several others, came to her aid.

* * *

After freeing Fudge yet again, most of the cars started to head home. Lizzie was the first to call it quits as she hated the cold weather. Sarge and Sheriff went to keep an eye on her. Fillmore headed off because Sarge was. Flo and Ramone drove back to town to get warm drinks for the others.

Mater, on the other tyre, had another idea.

"Let's catch snowflakes on our tongues!" he suggested to Lightning, who agreed happily.

Before long, they were joined by Red and Sally and the four of them were driving around with their tongues out, trying to catch snowflakes. They couldn't stop laughing.

"This is so much fun!" Sally proclaimed.

* * *

Not too far away, Fudge crouched down behind a tree next to her fathers, unable to stop giggling. The three of them had a stack of snowballs beside them.

"Ssh!" Luigi whispered, putting a tyre over her mouth. "They can't know what we are doing."

"Okay!" Fudge agreed, trying to be quiet.

"(Here they are!)" Guido hissed, reversing back behind the tree.

The three of them waited for a moment.

Guido peered back around the tree. "(Now!)" he ordered.

Not one of them hesitated. The two Italians and their daughter launched their snowballs in the direction of Lightning, Mater, Red and Sally. Fudge had terrible aim, but she didn't care. She was still laughing hysterically.

"Mater, look out!" Lightning shouted as he ducked for cover behind another tree.

Mater wasn't scared, though. He kept driving through the battlefield as snowball as snowball was sent his way.

"Ow!" he kept yelping. "Ow! Ouch! Dad-gum! Yep, that's gon' leave a mark!"

With the last of their snowballs gone, Luigi, Guido and Fudge took off, laughing all the way.

"Oh, we're gonna get them back!" Lightning vowed determinedly.

* * *

"Is it safe?" Fudge questioned nervously as she pushed a portion of frozen bush out of her face. She was hiding from Lightning, Mater, Red and Sally in the bushes on all fours.

"I think so", Luigi answered uncertainly. He and Guido were also hiding in the bushes.

Taking a risk, Fudge crawled out from the bushes, only to get a snowball directly in the face. Then another. Then another.

"Hey!" she yelped as the four sprinted off, laughing.

"Now, we're even!" Lightning yelled.

Luigi and Guido helped their daughter to her feet.

"We will get them back later", Luigi promised Fudge.

"Okay", Fudge agreed, satisfied. She brushed some more snow off her face.

* * *

A few hours later, Fudge had found another way to entertain herself: making snow people. She'd made snow angels for a while and was now piling up snow to make them look like cars. Well, one was supposed to look like a human.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" Lightning greeted her, admiring her work.

"Hi..." The six-year-old eyed him suspiciously. "You're not gonna throw any more snowballs at me, are you?"

"Of course not!" the race car assured her. "We'll make a truce now."

"A what?"

"Never mind. I'm not gonna throw any snowballs at you."

Fudge accepted that.

"You're doin' a good job of all those snow cars", he informed her.

"I'm not finished with you yet", Fudge responded, patting some snow.

"Me?" Lightning asked, puzzled.

"Yeah." Fudge gestured to the snow car she was working on. "This one's you." She waved her arm to indicate to the collection of snow cars and the one snow human. "This is our family."

"Of course!" Lightning pretended he knew all along to spare Fudge's feelings.

A few minutes later, Luigi and Guido showed up and Fudge was eager to show them her likenesses of her family in snow.

"Fudge!" Luigi exclaimed. "That is so sweet!"

"I'm finished!" she declared. "Can I get the others, so they can see it?"

"Of course." Luigi kissed her.

"(I am sure they will all love to see it)", Guido added, kissing her.

"Make sure nothing happens to my snow family!" she instructed Luigi, Guido and Lightning. "I'll go get everyone! I'll be back in a sec!"

Off she went.

As soon as she was gone, Luigi turned to Lightning. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"If it was not for you, then we would not have our daughter", Luigi informed him. "We are so happy that you showed up just in time. We get to spend many more Christmases and birthdays with her", he repeated his earlier thoughts. "It is times like this where we think about that... So, I just want to say thank you."

" _Grazie_!" Guido added.

Lightning just smiled at them.

"See?!" Fudge cried, leading the way back to where she'd left the others. "See? It's our family!" She pointed to each one and told them which member of the Radiator Springs family they were.

"Fudge, this is incredible!" Doc proclaimed seriously.

"Really?"

"Yes!" Sally replied. "It's so sweet of you to build all of us out of snow."

Fudge beamed.

"What do you say we all build some snow people?" Lightning suggested. "I haven't done that since I was about ten or eleven."

"Yeah!" Mater and Fudge cried.

"Let's see who kin build the biggest snow person!" Mater added.

"Yeah!" Fudge repeated.

Immediately, all of the townsfolk got to work.

* * *

A few hours later, when everyone was done building snow people, the sky began to grow dark. Everyone started to head back to town where the neon came on, their colourful lights bouncing off the clean white snow.

"The town looks great!" Sally exclaimed. "It truly is a winter wonderland!"

"Sure is!" Lightning agreed. "You wanna take a cruise down Main Street with me?"

Sally smiled. "I would love to!"

So, an impromptu neon cruise was underway. It was a little hard to cruise through the snow, but it didn't matter. They all had a lot of fun. The cars all smiled as Fudge ran and danced around. They remembered all of the tears they'd had on that day one year earlier after social workers wanted to make her leave her family _and_ she'd learned that her mother had abandoned her as a baby. They were glad that she was now laughing and smiling and having fun. And they were glad _they_ were having fun, instead of wearing parking boots and being questioned by the police and ACAFCA.

As for Lightning, that time a year earlier, he was too busy with his eyes on the prize. He'd been training so hard to win the Piston Cup that he hadn't stopped to think about the fact that the holidays were coming up. He hadn't had any plans for Christmas and knew he'd spend it training (which he did).

 _I'm so glad I came here!_ Lightning thought to himself for the millionth time as he cruised beside his girlfriend in the snow. _If I hadn't, I'd be alone again this year. I wouldn't have the best family anyone's ever had._ He looked at the neon lights as the snow began to fall again. _And I'd miss out on this magical feeling!_

* * *

At the end of a long day playing in the snow, the entire RS gang gathered at Flo's V8 Café for soup and hot drinks. Fudge pulled out her paper and crayon and resumed working on her letter to the Santas.

"Hey, Lightnin'!" Mater called to his best friend. "Didja have a good snow day?"

"I sure did!" the stock car confirmed. "I haven't had this much fun in the snow since I was a kid!"

"Me neither!" several of the others chimed in.

"But", Lightning went on, grinning devilishly, "I don't think I had as much fun as I'm going to have tomorrow, speeding past you on that big hill."

"Ya better eat a light breakfast!" Mater joked. "'Cause I'm gon' make you eat plenny of snow!"

Lightning laughed. "You're on!"

"Yeah, we're gonna beat you this time, Mater!" Fudge shouted.

"I'm sure you'll have a lotta fun doin' that tomorrow", Flo spoke up, "but right now, eat your soup and drink your oil or cocoa", she added, glancing at Fudge, "before it all gets cold."

* * *

"Are you ready for bed?" Luigi quizzed his daughter.

"Almost!" she replied. "I haven't finished my letter yet!"

"Christmas is still a little while away, Fudgie", Luigi reminded her gently. "You still have more than three weeks to finish it."

"Okay." Fudge put her letter aside.

"Now, you have your pyjamas on", Luigi observed as his six-year-old daughter got into bed. "Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes! Guido helped me!"

"Good girl." Luigi kissed her.

"Luigi?"

"Yes, Fudge?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, angel."

"And I'm so happy I didn't leave Radiator Springs."

"Me too, Fudgie. Me too."

"And we're gonna have more fun in the snow tomorrow!"

"Yes. Tomorrow", Luigi replied. "But for now, you should be asleep. Guido will come up and say good night in a minute."

"Okay. Good night, Luigi. I love you."

"Good night, angel. I love you too." Luigi kissed her and drove out of the room.

Fudge lay awake, gazing out the window as snow continued to fall. She'd had so much fun out there today and couldn't wait to see what awaited her tomorrow as she enjoyed another day with her family. Just thinking about it, she fell asleep with the biggest smile on her face.

 **It doesn't snow where I live. We got a little bit of snow where I used to live, but not much. So, I've never really been able to do much of this kind of stuff. I wish I could, though. It would be so much fun! :(**


	24. Fudge's Christmas Wish

**Here is my other Christmas special! It's based on the book _Mater Saves Christmas_ , only with some details changed. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Fudge's Christmas Wish**

Fudge swore it was always the slowest moving day of the year, tied with the day before her birthday, It was Christmas Eve and she was bored out of her mind. She'd already had breakfast at Flo's, helped the former show car with the dishes (which she hoped would help her put her on the Santas' nice list!), finished her letter to the Santas and watched all of the Christmas specials of her favourite cartoons. Now, she sat on the couch as her fathers served a surge of customers. They were going to close the shop early that day and wouldn't reopen until Boxing Day, so everyone made sure they had tyres to get them through the big day. So, the only sounds throughout Casa Della Tires were Luigi and Guido talking to their customers, the customers talking back, the whirring of Guido's wrench and the radio playing merry Christmas carols.

 _How come we haven't had lunch yet?_ nine-year-old Fudge wondered. _It's gotta be, like, two o'clock, right?_

She checked the time on the digital clock. It read 10:26.

"I'm bo- _ored_!" she whined.

"Why don't you go and see if anyone needs help?" Luigi suggested.

"Okay!" Fudge pulled on her boots, scarf and coat and went off.

Most of the storeowners were also serving customers before they closed for the holidays. Red was busy going through donations for his annual toy drive. Flo was going over the menu for Christmas lunch the next day. Doc was taking care of some travellers who were feeling the effects of the cold weather. Sheriff was just generally keeping an eye on things. Nobody really needed any help, so Fudge headed to the junkyard.

* * *

"Hi, guys!" she greeted Mater and Lightning, who were busy putting pen to paper.

"Hey, Fudge!" they responded in unison warmly.

"Whatcha doin'?" she questioned curiously.

"Finishin' off our letters ta Santa Car!" Mater answered.

"And Santa _Claus_!" Lightning added importantly.

" _Yeah_ , Mater!" Fudge teased. Everyone knew there were two Santas. Santa Claus was a human and Santa Car was a snake! Just kidding! He was a car. They worked together with their flying reindeer to deliver presents to children- and children at heart- all around the world. "I've already finished my letter", she added. "Now, I'm bored."

Lightning chuckled. "Yeah, I remember being the same way when I was a kid. Every year on Christmas Eve, I'd see my mom stacking presents under the tree and it just drove me crazy not knowing what they were."

"Yer mom?" Mater repeated. "What about da Santas? Why didn't they give ya presents?"

"They did!" Lightning assured him hurriedly. "I got presents from my parents _and_ the Santas. Like Fudge does."

Lightning McQueen didn't believe in the Santas. He knew Mater and Fudge did, though, so he was just humouring them by writing his letter. Everyone else did it too.

As Mater and Lightning finished up their letters, the latter told the former and Fudge what Christmas had been like for him as a kid.

"My family would all come over to our place on Christmas Eve and spend two days there", he recalled. "That was great. I mean, it was the only time we ever really got together and my parents weren't obsessed with work. I loved to see my grandparents and my aunts and uncles because that meant more presents. And I loved to see my cousins because I was an only child. It was nice to have other kids to hang out with.

"On Christmas Eve, my cousins and I would all gather in my room and talk about all the presents we were gonna get and see if we could see or hear the Santas."

"It would be so cool to be a Santa", Fudge mused. "Travelling around the world in a sleigh, flying high above the ground and delivering presents to make so many people happy."

"It would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?" Lightning agreed. "I remember one year, when I was eight years old, my cousins and I saw a shooting star and we swore it was the Santas."

"Maybe it was", the human girl suggested.

Lightning nodded. "Maybe. I don't know." He sighed. "If it _was_ them, though, then they got a lot of explaining to do! That year, I specifically asked for a Fabulous Hudson Hornet Classic Racers model. And I never got one!"

"Maybe da Santas done made a mistake!" Mater suggested.

"Maybe", Lightning repeated.

* * *

At that moment, the trio heard laughter behind them. "You losers don't _really_ believe in the Santas, do you?"

They all turned around to find Chick Hicks staring at them.

"Chick?" The surprise and suspicion in Lightning's voice was obvious. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, it's a free country!" Chick argued. "I got every right to be here! I just happened to be passing through when I heard you guys believe in the Santas. He focused his eyes on Fudge. "I can kind of understand a five-year-old believing in them-"

"I'm nine and a half!" Fudge protested.

Chick ignored her. "But you two?!" he laughed, eyeing Lightning and Mater. "You should know by now they're not real."

Mater glared at Chick. "I s'pose next yer gonna tell us the Easter Buggy don't exist neither."

"Shut up, Chick!" Lightning scoffed. He didn't say anything else: he didn't want to say he believed in the Santas to Chick (he'd never hear the end of it). but he didn't want to say he _didn't_ believe in the Santas in front of Mater and Fudge.

"Well, as much as I would love to stay and chat", Chick began, "I gotta make a donation to the toy drive!"

" _You're_ donating to Red's toy drive?" Lightning questioned sceptically.

"Oh, yeah! I'm makin' my contribution! See?" Chick showed off the collection of Chick Hicks toys he had with him.

"Hmmm..." Still, Lightning was suspicious. He was at least ninety-nine per cent sure Chick was hiding something. He just wanted to know what.

* * *

Mater, Lightning and Fudge met up with the others at lunchtime.

"We're just havin' odds and ends for lunch and dinner today", Flo explained to them all. "I'm savin' all the good stuff for tomorrow."

"Can't wait!" Fudge proclaimed with a grin.

"Did y'all finish yer letters to the Santas?" Mater quizzed everyone.

"Sure did!" Flo assured him.

"Absolutely!" Doc added.

Mater collected all of the letters and shot off like a bolt of lightning in the direction of the mailbox. Then, he rocketed back to Flo's.

"So, all we need to do now is wait fer the mail truck to git here and take the letters away!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"And put out the oil, milk and cookies!" Fudge added. She and Flo had baked cookies the previous afternoon. While they and everyone else in town had tried the cookies, a batch was set aside for the Santas. "And the carrots for the reindeer!"

"That's right!" Flo agreed.

Doc smiled. "I think we're in for a great Christmas this year!"

If Doc was the one saying that, it must be true. Normally, the old Hudson Hornet didn't care much for Christmas. Or any holiday for that matter. Ever since he moved to Radiator Springs, he tolerated them a lot more than he used to, but he still didn't enjoy them.

"Yeah!" Fudge cried excitedly. "This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!"

* * *

Unfortunately, that was when Sheriff showed up to dampen everyone's spirits.

"I'm afraid I got some bad news, everyone", he reported. "Gas stations up and down Route 66 have been robbed!"

Everyone gasped.

"Have they caught the thieves?" Doc questioned.

Sheriff shook his hood. "Not yet. Even the fuel pumps at the post office have been robbed as close as Ashgrove."

Mater gasped. "But that means the mail trucks can't come through and deliver the letters to the Santas!" he exclaimed. "That means no Christmas!"

"What are we gonna do?" Fudge wondered worriedly.

"Flo! Fill me up!" Mater instructed. "I'm gonna deliver the letters myself!"

Flo tried to fill the tow truck's tank up, only to stop and gasp. "There's no fuel left!"

"What are we gonna do?!" Fudge repeated.

Mater noticed something; out of the corner of his eye, he could see Chick and some of his pals- Boost, DJ, Wingo and Snot Rod- chuckling to themselves.

Fillmore had an idea. "Meet me at the dome in five!" he whispered to Mater.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, Mater was fuelled up with the last of Fillmore's latest batch of Christmas brew. Then the hippie van requested that his letter went straight to the top of the pile of letters.

"Never stop believin', man."

Lightning and Fudge were concerned. They couldn't let Mater go all the way to the North Pole alone. They knew what they had to do.

"Mater, I'm coming with you!" Lightning decided.

"Me too!" Fudge chimed in.

"But, McQueen", Mater started to protest, "you ain't got proper tyres!"

"Did somebody say tyres?" Luigi piped up excitedly.

* * *

It took the combined efforts of the small town's residents to prepare Mater, Lightning and Fudge for their expedition to the North Pole. Luigi and Guido got Lightning into some more appropriate snow tyres. Sarge outfitted the cars with fog lights and snow plows. Lizzie got some warmer clothes from her shop for Fudge to wear (sweater, hat, scarf and gloves, all Radiator Springs themed). Flo whipped up some hot drinks free from fuel for the trio to take with them.

They were ready. After being warned to be careful and look out for each other, Mater, Lightning and Fudge set off for the long journey.

"North Pole, here we come!" Mater shouted.

"We're on our way!" Fudge declared.

"Let's sing some Christmas songs to pass the time!" Mater suggested, beginning to do just that.

* * *

As soon as the three of them were gone, Sheriff faced the ones who were staying behind. "Here's what we're gonna do: We're gonna catch those thieves!"

"Us?" Fillmore repeated. "How?"

"I got a plan. Luigi, Guido, you're gonna be scouts. Sally, you're in charge of the maps. Fillmore, you keep makin' fuel to keep the search party goin'."

"Yes, sir", everyone chorused, not daring to argue.

"C'mon, man!" Fillmore called to Luigi and Guido. "I'll get you filled up!"

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. When Fillmore returned to his dome, he found his fuel-making supplies stolen!

"Who would do a thing like this, man?" the hippie van wondered sadly.

"We're about to find out!" Sarge answered. "We'll pool our remaining fuel for Luigi and Guido and they'll track the thieves."

So, that's what they did and Guido and Luigi were off to track the thieves.

* * *

Way up north, Mater, Lightning and Fudge were all beginning to grow tired. Still, they fought to keep their spirits up by singing Christmas songs. Plus, they had to remind themselves why they were doing this.

"We gotta deliver the letters, so the Santas can come and we kin have Christmas!" Mater insisted.

"That's right!" Fudge agreed. "Still, it would be a lot easier if we had a sleigh like the Santas and we could fly."

"Still on that, Fudge?" Lightning asked Fudge with a teasing smile.

"It would be awesome!" she insisted.

"Yeah, it would!" Mater agreed. "'Cause it's takin' so dad-gum long to get to the-"

 **BONK!**

"What was that?" Fudge questioned.

"I think I hit somethin'", Mater replied. He gasped when he saw what it was: a candy-striped pole. "The North Pole! We found it!"

Lightning couldn't believe it. "No way!"

"This is _awesome_!" Fudge exclaimed, leaping out of Mater's truck bed.

There was no doubt that this was the North Pole and it was everything they'd dreamed it would be. There was a big Christmas tree in the centre of a little town with toy workshops set up all around. Elves were hard at work in each workshop. Some elves were also examining lists of naughty and nice children.

In the centre of it all was...

"Santa Car!" Fudge cried in disbelief, running towards him.

"Dad-gum!" Mater gasped, following her.

"Santa Car _is_ real!" Lightning marvelled.

"But where's Santa _Claus_?" Mater wondered.

Santa Car beamed when he saw the trio approaching him. "Welcome to the North Pole, Lightning, Mater and Fudge."

"How do you know our names?" Fudge wanted to know in surprise.

"'Cause he's _Santa Car_!" Mater reminded her. "It's so dad-gum nice to meet ya, Mr. Santa Car!"

"I believe this is the first time anybody's come to the North Pole", Santa Car informed them. "What brings you all this way?"

Mater told him what had happened. "So, we came to deliver the letters ourselves!"

"And save Christmas!" Fudge added.

Santa Car's face fell. "I appreciate you coming all this way, but I'm afraid Christmas may have to be cancelled this year."

"No Christmas?" Mater was heartbroken.

"What?!" Fudge shrieked. "Why?!"

"My reindeer have been stolen", Santa Car explained. "And Santa Claus is missing. I can't fly around the world without my reindeer. And there are too many presents for me to handle on my own. I need Santa Claus."

"So, all of the gas stations back home have been robbed _and_ now the reindeer and Santa Claus are missing?!" Fudge wailed. "This can't be happening! It's like someone wants to ruin Christmas!"

Mater thought for a moment, remembering how Chick reacted when Flo's was robbed. He had an idea.

"Santa Car! Kin ya come back to Radiator Springs with us?"

Santa Car was puzzled. "What for?"

"I think I know where yer reindeers and Santa Claus went", Mater replied. "Somebody took 'em!"

"Who?" Lightning, Fudge and Santa Car all asked in unison.

"Chick Hicks!"

"Chick Hicks?" the other three repeated simultaneously.

"Why would Chick do _that_?" Lightning wondered.

"Dem reindeers are fed top secret fuel to help them fly, ain't they?"

"That's right!" Lightning realised. "Chick would do anything to win a race!"

"Even cheat!" Fudge added disgustedly.

"I'd tow y'all back to Radiator Springs", Mater offered, "but they ain't no way we'll make it back in time."

"Not to worry", Santa Car assured him. "I believe I still have some fuel left..."

Lightning's eyes widened. "You mean..."

"Yes", Santa Car confirmed. "I'll fill both your tanks up with the fuel that makes my reindeer fly." He turned to the nine-year-old human girl beside them. "Fudge, you'll have to ride with Mater again."

"Okay!" she agreed.

Everything came together so quickly. Mater and Lightning had full tanks and Mater had an antler hat that Mrs. Santa Car had made for him for the journey. Before long, both Lightning and Santa Car were hooked up to Mater with his tow cable and Fudge was positioned in his truck bed. The trio from Radiator Springs hadn't been sure if the fuel was going to work, but when they were ready, their tyres began to lift off the ground!

"It worked!" Lightning exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"Dad-gum!" Mater breathed.

A huge smile spread across Fudge's face. "We're... _flying_!"

Santa Car just chuckled at their reactions.

"Let's go save Christmas!" Mater shouted.

"Yeah, let's go!" the others yelled.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Radiator Springs, Luigi and Guido rolled through the snow, determined to find any clues; or better yet, the thieves.

"I don't know how we are supposed to find them, Guido", Luigi remarked.

"(Me neither)", Guido sighed, disappointed.

"We don't even know if they are still in Radiator Springs", the Fiat went on. "They could have gone to rob more gas stations on Route 66!"

"(And Route 66 is a very big place)", Guido chimed in. "(I don't know why Sheriff-)"

"Wait!" Luigi exclaimed abruptly. "What is that?"

"(What is what?)" Guido wondered.

Luigi didn't answer. He just rolled closer to the edge of a cliff.

"(Where are you going?!)" Guido demanded.

Again, Luigi didn't answer. It didn't matter, though. Guido had seen. Chick Hicks and his gang- his pitties, DJ, Boost, Wingo and Snot Rod- were all there. The two Italians couldn't believe their eyes when he saw who else was there: Santa Claus and nine reindeer! That wasn't even the worst part, though. All of them were trapped in a large cage. Santa Claus wasn't wearing his suit jacket; just his suit pants and a white-T-shirt. The red jacket was lying on the ground not too far away, several sheets of paper lay scattered around it, including the naughty and nice lists. A now empty sack and a large collection of presents had also been strewn across the ground.

"What are you doing, Chick?" Luigi murmured to himself softly.

Unfortunately, at that moment, one of Chick's pitties, Bruiser Bukowski, noticed Guido and Luigi. He let out a shrill whistle and in a matter of seconds, the entire group surrounded them.

"Ha! You're too late, boys!" Chick informed them triumphantly as another forklift siphoned their gas. "We've already reverse engineered the flying fuel! With no help from this guy!" he added, shooting Santa Claus a dirty look.

"But _why_?" Luigi wanted to know.

Chick and his posse burst out laughing.

"Why do you _think_?! So, I can fly around the track and never lose to Lightning McQueen again!"

Of course, that would be cheating but Guido and Luigi knew Chick had never cared about that.

"You know what the best part is?" Chick went on. " **NO CHRISTMAS!** "

"You don't like Christmas?" Luigi questioned.

"Of course I do!" Chick replied. "Who doesn't love Christmas? But you know why everyone loves Christmas? _Presents_!"

Luigi, Guido, Santa Claus and the reindeer just stared at him.

"All I ever get in my stocking is dirty oil filters!" Chick shouted. "What kind of present is _that_?! If I can't have presents, _no one_ can!"

"There are more important things than presents, Chick", Luigi informed the mean green race car.

"Oh, yeah?" he scoffed unbelievingly. "Like what?"

"Friends... family..."

"Giving", Santa Claus piped up, "not receiving."

Luigi nodded. "Exactly."

Chick just scoffed again. "Maybe you should give something better than dirty oil filters then!"

"Maybe you shouldn't be so naughty then", Santa Claus countered calmly. "You ought to realise what's important in life."

"I _know_ what's important!" Chick insisted. " _Winning_!"

* * *

Chick was just starting to fill up his tank with the special flying fuel when the sound of jingling bells filled the air.

"What the heck is that?!" he demanded.

He got his answer when some familiar faces soared above them. There was Mater with Fudge riding in his truck bed and Lightning McQueen and Santa Car in tow.

"Hi!" Fudge called excitedly, waving.

"Lookie there!" Mater exclaimed, pointing. "Chick done captured Santa Claus and da reindeers! I knowed it!"

Terrified, Chick took to the skies and flew off.

" **AFTER HIM!** " Fudge yelled and Mater didn't hesitate to obey.

With Sheriff leading the way, the rest of the townsfolk showed up at that moment. They'd been following Luigi and Guido's tyre tracks.

"What is goin'-" he began. Then he stopped and his eyes widened. "Oh, sweet Chrysler!"

"Sheriff! We'll get Chick!" Mater hollered down to the police cruiser. "Y'all save Luigi, Guido, Santa Claus and the reindeer!"

"Ten-four, Mater!" Sheriff confirmed.

"Ya wanna save 'em?" Bruiser blocked their path with the other pitties and the Tuner Gang. "You gotta get through _us_ first!"

Sheriff, Doc, Sarge, Fillmore, Flo, Ramone, Sally, Red and Lizzie all rolled closer, closing in on them, looking as fierce as they could. Plus, they outnumbered Chick's gang. So, they shrank back in fear and fled the scene. Satisfied, they opened the cage door to free Santa Claus and the reindeer and got Luigi and Guido down from the stands they'd been stuck on to have their gas siphoned.

"Fillmore." Santa Claus had gathered up items from his sack that had been strewn all over the ground. He gave one to the hippie van: a new set of fuel-making supplies. "Why don't you top Luigi and Guido up?" He smiled. "I think some organic fuel would do my reindeer some good too."

Fillmore grinned. "You got it, man!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Lightning was still trying to catch Chick. Both race cars were fast, but Lightning had the advantage; he knew the track by heart. Chick, however, did not. He turned too late on one of the left turns and smacked straight into a cactus!

" **OWWW!** " he screamed, losing control.

Even better, Chick hadn't managed to fill up his tank very much and that was the moment he ran out. The 86 race car started to fall. He screamed all the way down. His screams didn't stop when he hit the ground either; he had landed right in a ravine of cacti!

Lightning, Mater, Fudge and Doc all rushed over to see Chick in the cacti.

"Have fun fishin', Mater. Tow him straight to jail!" Doc ordered.

"Actually", Santa Claus spoke up, approaching the group, "if you don't mind, Dr. Hudson, I had another idea."

"What?" Lightning wondered curiously.

"Well, first, we'll need the help of a local body artist..."

* * *

" **I LOOK RIDICULOUS!** " Chick complained when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.

"You won't feel so ridiculous when you get to the North Pole. All the elves look like that", Lightning reasoned.

"Shut up, McQueen!"

Fudge just giggled at the sight of Chick Hicks in green and with red and white candy stripes.

"You can shut up too, human!" the 86 car snarled.

"Whenever you're ready... **ACHOO!** " Santa Claus sneezed. "W- We'll get going for- **ACHOO!** -For the North Pole! You have a lot of work to do! **ACHOO!** "

"Are you all right?" Doc wondered.

"I suppose I've got a rather nasty cold", Santa Claus reported. He sneezed again. "After all, I was held prisoner in the snow for several hours without my coat on."

Everyone glared at Chick.

"And that is why you're coming with us to the North Pole", Santa Car informed him sternly. "To help us make toys for children of the world and perhaps learn to think for others."

Santa Claus let out another terrible sneeze.

"You'd better come with me to the clinic." Doc began to usher Santa Claus towards the clinic.

* * *

Not long later, Doc left his clinic with a report. "He's fine, but he does need to rest for a few days."

"So, what is Santa Car gon' do?" Mater wondered.

"Yeah!" Fudge chimed in. "He can't deliver all of those presents by himself!"

"Well, perhaps you and Mater ought to help me then", Santa Car suggested.

"Us?" Mater asked in surprise.

Fudge's eyes widened. "Really?"

Santa Car nodded. "Absolutely. You came to me to save Christmas, so now, I need you to help me save Christmas."

"Yeah, the world's counting on you guys!" Lightning informed them with a smile.

Mater and Fudge glanced around at their family's encouraging smiles. Then they looked at each other.

"We'll do it!" they decided simultaneously.

* * *

Mater and Fudge helped Santa Car load up the presents and Mater got given some more of the flying fuel while Fudge put on Santa's furry red coat; it was much too big on a nine-year-old girl, but Fudge didn't mind. She climbed into Mater's truck bed. While they were getting ready, Lightning had one thing he wanted to ask Santa Car.

"I guess that really _was_ you I saw on Christmas Eve when I was eight?"

Santa Car nodded. "Yes. But I doubt you'll tell your cousin Annie that."

"God, no! Are you kidding?!" Lightning laughed. "Whenever you tell her she was right about something, she'll never stop rubbing it in your face!""

Santa Car chuckled. "And I believe I owe you this from when you were eight years old." He handed Lightning a wrapped present.

When the stock car unwrapped it, he couldn't believe what it was...

"A Fabulous Hudson Hornet Classic Racers model!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Doc drove up behind him and peered at it. "Oh, what the heck is _that_?!" he grumbled, sounding almost disgusted by the likeness of him.

Lightning ignored him. "Thank you, Santa Car!"

* * *

"Are we ready to go?" Fudge wondered as they loaded the last of the presents.

Santa Car looked around. "Yes. I believe we are." He faced each of the Radiator Springs residents in turn. "Thank you all very much for everything you've done. I think it's safe to say you'll all be on the nice list for a very long time."

They all beamed with pride.

"Well, Mater, Fudge, if we're ready, then we better get going."

Fudge grinned excitedly. "Let's go!"

Mater, with a tank full of special flying fuel, lifted himself and Fudge into the air.

The nine-year-old human girl laughed with delight. "We're flying... again!"

"We is flyin' to bring Christmas to ev'ryone everywhere!" Mater added.

"Yeah we are!"

"Good luck, guys!" Lightning called to them.

"Have fun!" Luigi chimed in.

"Stay safe!" Doc added.

"We're proud of you!" That was Sally.

"We'll have fun and be safe!" Fudge promised. "And we'll be back as soon as we can!"

"Goodbye!" everyone shouted to each other. "Thank you! Goodbye!"

The residents of Radiator Springs gathered together as Mater and Fudge rode off into the distance with Santa Car and the reindeer. They all watched in amazement while snow began to fall.

"What an adventure!" Doc proclaimed with a big smile as soon as they disappeared from view.

"Well, for Mater and Fudge, the adventure isn't over yet", Lightning pointed out.

* * *

"Merry Christmas tow all and tow all a good night!" Mater yelled as he flew through the night sky.

"Special delivery!" a joyful Fudge added as they distributed the presents. "For you! And you! And you!"

"This has already been the best Christmas ever!" Mater declared.

"It sure has, Mater!" Fudge agreed, smiling softly. "It sure has!"

* * *

It was late when the tow truck and human girl returned to Radiator Springs in the early hours of Christmas morning. Fudge had never stayed up so late and was exhausted. As soon as she'd put her pyjamas on and tumbled into bed, she was fast asleep. Guido and Luigi smiled and each gave her a kiss before leaving her to sleep.

At sunlight, when Fudge awoke, she had the biggest smile on her face. She knew it was Christmas!

"Merry Christmas!" she shrieked as her fathers came into her bedroom. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Fudgie!" they echoed, kissing her.

"Should we go over to Flo's to open our presents?" Luigi suggested. He took the stocking at the end of his daughter's bed. There were some presents in it, but most of her gifts were over at Flo's.

"Yeah!" Fudge cheered, making him and Guido laugh.

So, Fudge put on her dressing gown and slippers to head over to Flo's. When she first woke up, she'd forgotten about the night she'd had entirely. That is, until an object in her stocking caught her attention.

"Whoa..." she murmured softly in amazement when she saw what it was: a snow globe. Inside was a picture of her, Santa Car, Mater and Lightning at the North Pole. A green and red Post-It note was attached to the bottom of the snow globe.

 _Dear Fudge,_

 _Thank you so much for your help. You saved Christmas! You've been a very nice girl this year. Keep it up for us._

 _Merry Christmas._

 _Santa Car and Santa Claus._

 **Happy holidays and Happy New Year, everyone! I love this time of year because not only is the 25th Christmas Day, but it's my birthday!**

 **And, like I said last year, reviews would make an excellent Christmas/birthday present for me!**


	25. Family Portrait

**I haven't done anything on this story in a while due to lack of ideas. However, I came up with a challenge for myself. I recently found a list of one hundred writing prompts on Tumblr. Using a random number generator, I picked three and tried to create a short story out of them. And this is the result (in case you care, I put the three prompts in bold).**

 **Don't hate on me too badly if you don't like it. This was just an experimental piece.**

 **Family Portrait**

" **I just want one nice picture of us!** "

"Lightnin', I've got enough to do today as it is."

"Doc, you _knew_ I was planning on doing this today! You were there when I booked the photographer three weeks ago!"

The Hudson Hornet shrugged. "Things come up all the time when you're a doctor. What if there's an accident in town? You expect the patient to wait while we take this damn picture?"

"Of course not!" Lightning countered. "But your paperwork and stuff can wait, can't they? We do this right, it shouldn't take any more than five minutes."

"Five minutes I could be spent doin' that mountain of paperwork." Doc gestured to it. "Or plannin' for your next race."

Lightning groaned. "Fine! It's not like I was expecting you to understand!" He started to drive off.

* * *

The rest of the residents of Radiator Springs and the forklift photographer were all waiting over at Flo's for Lightning and Doc.

"Where is Doc?" Luigi wanted to know.

"He doesn't wanna come", Lightning muttered angrily. "He doesn't get that this is important to me."

"Can we hurry up?" a bored-sounding Fudge pleaded. "I don't wanna wear this stupid dress more than I have to!"

"Fudge!" Luigi scolded her.

"Uh... Are we still doing this?" the photographer questioned.

Lightning had been about to respond with, "Yeah. Let's just do it." However, he couldn't get the words out. Glancing back at the clinic, he knew there was someone missing.

"You know what? I don't wanna do this without Doc."

He raced back over to the clinic.

Sarge shook his hood. "It's hopeless. He's been here a year. He ought to know by now that Doc doesn't care for this kind of thing."

"I don't know", Sally voiced her opinion. "Stickers can be very persuasive. And this is very important to him. He might just pull it off."

"While we wait", Flo spoke up, "why don't we have some drinks?"

"Wait, Fudgie!" Luigi grabbed hold of his daughter before she could follow Flo and wrapped a nearby towel around her. 'I don't want you getting your drink on your beautiful dress."

* * *

"Doc!" Lightning called out, barging through the doors of the Hudson Hornet's garage after finding that he wasn't in his clinic.

Doc had his rear bumper to his protégé. If he heard him (and he probably did), then he made no acknowledgement of it.

Lightning came closer, only to cough as some dust flew into his mouth. "Gosh!" he sputtered. " **How can you stand this mess?** "

"I thought you were takin' your family portrait", Doc replied, still not looking at him.

"Look, I know you don't understand, but this is important to me. I want you there!"

Doc looked his way quizzically. "What makes you think I don't understand?"

"Come on, Doc! You've never really cared about family stuff!" Lightning accused. "When we have birthday parties, you're always there, but not really there, if you know what I mean! Plus, who could forget about how you just left Thomasville? You just don't care about the people who care about you!"

Doc was silent for a while.

"I train you for your races, don't I?"

"Yeah..."

"I look after you all when you're sick or you've hurt yourself, don't I?"

"Yeah..."

"As town judge, I make sure you're all safe, don't I?"

"Yeah..."

"And you're tellin' me I don't care?"

Lightning didn't know what to say.

"I know I don't like to socialise very much, but I do care about you and the rest of this town."

"I- I'm sorry, Doc", Lightning apologised. "I guess I was just mad because it means a lot to me that you're in this picture."

"Why _is_ this picture so important to you, rookie?" Doc wondered. "I didn't know you were so sentimental."

"Well, I guess I'm just grateful to have a family as great as this. I mean, with my parents always being so busy with work and all, I just like having this amazing group of people who are there for me."

He looked out the window at Flo's where everyone was parked, having drinks, talking and laughing merrily.

Doc couldn't help smiling as he followed the younger race car's gaze. "We're both pretty lucky, hot shot."

" **Just answer this one question and I won't ever bother you again.** "

"What's that?"

"Do you regret leaving Thomasville?"

Doc thought about that for a moment.

"Yes and no", he answered finally. "Of course, I miss my friends there and I've since realised I was bein' selfish when I left... But on the other tyre, I'm happy with how things turned out here."

Lightning smiled.

"Well", Doc announced finally, "if this picture is so important to you, let's get this over with."

Lightning couldn't help laughing at his mentor's teasing tone.

* * *

"'Bout time y'all showed up!" was the way Mater greeted the two race cars when they arrived at Flo's.

"Okay!" the photographer called out. "Are we ready to do this?"

"Uh-oh!" Fudge cried before anybody could say anything. Right away, everyone could see what her problem was.

"Oh, Fudgie!" Guido exclaimed, using napkins to wipe the spilt lemonade off her dress.

"It was an accident!" the six-going-on-seven-year-old insisted.

"You need to be more careful, Fudge!" Luigi shook his hood in disapproval. "Your beautiful dress!"

"Never mind, Luigi." Lightning scooped Fudge up. "I'll get her changed."

* * *

"This was not exactly what I had in mind..." Luigi informed Lightning, eyeing his daughter dressed in jeans, sneakers and a red 95 T-shirt.

"Come on, Luigi!" Doc piped up. "She's perfect just the way she is!"

Fudge beamed.

Now that everyone was gathered and ready, the photographer began guiding them all on where they should be.

"Okay! Smile!"

Everyone smiled and the photographer snapped the picture.

* * *

Lightning had promised Doc that if the photo was good, it should only take five minutes. Well, the first photo was perfect. Yet, the process took the whole day. Why? There were so many ideas on where and when to take great pictures. They took a couple down by the waterfall in the glow of the afternoon sun. Willy's Butte provided a good location too. Lightning had had the idea of heading up to the Wheel Well at sunset, so off they went. Sally wanted to wait until it got dark to get pictures under the neon lights of the town, so they did that too.

Everyone expected Doc to grow bored or annoyed or both. However, the Hudson Hornet enjoyed it as much as anybody. Why? Because he got to spend the whole day with the most important cars (and human!) in his life. For ages, he couldn't believe how much the red race car had changed since his arrival in Radiator Springs. Though, this was one of those times he thought about how Lightning's arrival had changed _him_. And, in Doc's eyes, there was no better way to spend the one-year anniversary of that fateful day.

Doc never did get round to his paperwork that day, but he didn't mind one bit. It had truly been a perfect day. Then, just when he thought it couldn't have been better, when he returned home that night, he discovered that the mail truck had been. And there was a letter from Smokey waiting for him.

 **My honest opinion on this one? It's not amazing, but considering how quickly I wrote it _and_ I didn't really plan it in advance, it's not half bad.**

 **Let me know what you think.**


	26. The Yellow Ladybug

**Here's a fic I'd been thinking about writing for a while and I finally managed to do it for an important occasion. Though, I don't love how it turned out. I didn't have many ideas.**

 **The Yellow Ladybug**

"No, no, no, no, no!" Fudge cried.

Luigi sighed. He was trying to be patient, but that wasn't easy. He'd already gone through this with his six-year-old daughter when she didn't want to wear the dress he had for her. Now, she was doing the same thing with her socks and shoes. "Fudgie, please put them on!"

"I don't wanna!" she complained.

"Well, you can't go outside in bare feet."

"Why not?!" Fudge demanded.

"Because you could get hurt!" Luigi explained. "Do you remember what happened last week?"

"Yeah. I remember..."

* * *

" _Doc!" Fudge wailed, limping into his clinic in tears._

 _Doc sighed. "What have you_ done _, kiddo?"_

 _"I stepped on something!"_

 _Doc could see a trail of blood behind the human girl. "Gimme your foot!" Fudge held up her foot for him to see. "There's a bit of glass in there." He groaned. "Fudge,_ this _is why we tell you to wear shoes!"_

* * *

"Well?" Luigi asked.

Reluctantly, Fudge gave her dad her foot and let him put socks on her feet followed by shoes.

"There!" Luigi announced, satisfied. He gave his daughter a kiss. "Let's go! Everyone is at Flo's, waiting for us!"

* * *

Indeed they were.

" _Buon giorno_!" they all greeted Luigi and Fudge, who replied cheerily.

Fudge made a beeline towards a stack of oil cans.

"Fudgie!" Luigi called out. "Where are you going? What are you doing?"

Fudge didn't answer. She just picked up one of the cans.

"Fudge!" Doc shouted. "You know you can't drink those!"

"I don't wanna drink it!" she responded, lining up the stacks very carefully.

"Do you really need to do that, Fudge?" Sarge wondered.

"It bothers me", she informed him simply.

"She's not hurtin' anythin', Sarge", Flo spoke up as she served everyone. "And it's keepin' her occupied." She knew the little girl often got bored when the grown-ups were talking about their grown-up stuff.

Sally chuckled. "I used to babysit a kid who used to do that. His name was Charlie. He was a sweet kid, but he had such a hard time at school. He had autism, so the other kids would pick on him."

"Autism?" Lightning repeated. "What's that?" He felt like he'd heard of it before, but he didn't really understand what it was.

"He just had a harder time socialising than other kids", Sally explained. "Like I said, he was very sweet, but he didn't understand normal social cues."

The subject was changed then. The adults started talking about things like their businesses, sports and politics. Fudge, who had finished up with the oil cans and was bored, was having what was practically a one-sided conversation about one of her favourite races she'd seen Lightning compete in. It was a story she'd told a million times.

"And then Chick tried to hit him, but he moved out of the way really fast!" Fudge babbled.

"Yes, Fudge, we know", Doc informed her.

"But then Chick hit Bobby and Bobby hit Lightning", Fudge continued anyway.

"Yes, Fudge, we _know_ ", Doc repeated.

"And Lightning-"

"And Lightning turned right to go left and won the race!" Doc finished, cutting her off. Not only did she tell the same story over and over again, but she used the exact same words every single time. "We _know_ the story! Not only do you tell it every day, but we were all there when it happened. Why don't you finish your breakfast quietly?"

Fudge gave him an angry glare and did finish her breakfast quietly, but under her own little storm cloud.

* * *

Everyone went about their days after breakfast. The business owners were busy with their respective businesses. Mater was probably busy tractor tipping. Sheriff was keeping an eye on the town. Red was busy watering the flowers. Doc and Lightning were training by Willy's Butte.

As for Fudge, she didn't know what to do. She'd wanted to go with Lightning and Doc, but the latter had said no.

"We can't have you distractin' us, Fudge", he insisted. "We got a lot of work to do!"

So, the little girl was running through town, feeling kind of lonely when she spotted a group of car kids about her age, parked, talking.

"Hi!" Fudge approached them.

They didn't answer; they were too engrossed in their conversation. So, Fudge just slipped in anyway.

"Do you like racing?" she asked them, interrupting what they were saying.

"We're not talking about racing!" a white Sedan informed her. "We're talking about _Harry Potter_!"

"But racing is way better than _Harry Potter_!" Fudge insisted. She started babbling away about racing.

The other kids tried to ignore her, but Fudge still kept talking about racing.

"Shut up!" they shouted at her. "We don't care!"

But did Fudge shut up? No! She still kept yammering away.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the children, Guido was watching the whole thing. Fudge didn't understand how to interact with other kids; that was clear as day, watching her. That sounded a lot like the kid Sally was talking about earlier, who used to line up oil cans just like Fudge had done earlier.

"Hmmm..." Guido wondered. Maybe he should do some research on autism, maybe ask Sally and Doc about it too.

* * *

"You've noticed it too, huh?"

Guido nodded. " _Si_... You... have too?" he questioned on one of the very rare occasions he spoke English.

"Yeah", Doc confirmed. "I just didn't wanna say anythin' because I wanted to be sure. I really think she might be."

The Hudson Hornet moved over to the computer in his clinic (it was one of only two computers in town with the other one being Sally's) and brought up a medical webpage with all kinds of information about autism. Guido read through the characteristics of autism. It made it very clear that no autistic person would fit all of them, but quite a few of them _did_ sound like Fudge.

 _Difficulty understanding jokes, figures of speech or sarcasm._ That was something Fudge had difficulty with, but he'd always just assumed that was because of her age.

 _Very little or no eye contact._ Now that he thought about it, Fudge rarely looked at someone when she was talking to them.

 _Talks excessively about one or two topics._ In her case, that would be racing and whatever movie or TV show she was obsessed with lately.

 _Repetitive behaviours such as hand flapping or repeating words or phrases_. Fudge _did_ flap her hands a lot and she did repeat herself a lot.

He smiled as he noted, _Outstanding skills in certain areas._ Fudge knew more about racing, tyres and mechanics than any other six-year-old he knew.

The website also mentioned that autistic people liked routine and didn't respond well to change. That made Guido think about how hard it had been for her when the town made it back onto the map and tourists were coming through. Again, he assumed that was just because of her age.

Another thing that made sense now was Fudge's sensory issues. She didn't like the way certain things felt or sounded. It explained why she didn't like wearing socks or shoes and when it mentioned meltdowns, Guido remembered the incident when they first arrived in Los Angeles for the tiebreaker race...

* * *

 _Fudge had never been out of Radiator Springs before, so being in the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles was very new to her. There were more people than she'd ever seen in her life on this one street. She didn't like how close they were getting, how many there were or how loud they all were._

 _"Barbara! Hi! How are you?!"_

 _"Hi! Is it possible to make an appointment with Dr. Wheeler for Tuesday afternoon?"_

 _"Hurry up! We gotta get to the speedway before the race starts!"_

 _Fudge, who was sat in Mater's truck bed, started whimpering._

 _"Fudgie?" Luigi turned to her. "Are you okay?"_

 _Before the little girl could answer, there was a loud siren wailing as an ambulance came tearing down the street._

 _"No!" she shouted._

 _"No?" Luigi asked._

 _"NO!" Fudge shrieked. "NO, **NO!** " She threw herself down in the truck bed and broke down, screaming and crying._

 _"Fudgie, what is wrong?" Luigi questioned, concerned._

 _" **NO!** " she screamed again, banging her fists. "I don't like it here! I wanna go home!"_

 _"Fudge, I wanted you to stay home", Doc reminded her. "You're only here 'cause you begged to come."_

 _"Doc, this is the first time she has been out of Radiator Springs", Luigi pointed out._

 _"She's just scared 'cause everythin' here's new to her", Flo added._

 _"I say it's about time we got her out of Radiator Springs for a while", Sarge voiced his opinion. "Let her get used to it while she's still young."_

 _"There are so many people!" Fudge cried. "And it's too loud! I want to go home!"_

 _"(It is okay, angel!)" Guido whispered gently, scooping her up. She kicked violently and kept screaming, but Guido still held her. "(It is just scary because it is new. Everything is going to be okay! No one is going to hurt you.)"_

 _"How do you know that?!" the five-year-old demanded._

 _"Fudge, we're all here", Doc assured her. "We ain't gonna let anyone hurt you."_

 _"You promise?"_

 _"We promise!" everyone chorused._

 _Guido held her for a little while longer and she stopped screaming. She was still crying in soft whimpers when her father returned her to the truck bed. She still looked frightened to death._

* * *

"What... we do?" Guido wondered.

Doc thought for a moment. "I could set her up for an appointment with a psychologist I know in Ashgrove. We'll know for sure that way."

Guido nodded. "Okay."

So, Doc made the call to arrange the appointment. "Tuesday work for you? About two-thirty?"

" _Si_."

"That's fine", Doc informed the receptionist. "We'll see you then. Thank you."

"Guido! There you are!" Luigi called out, entering the clinic just as Doc was hanging up the phone.

"(We need to talk)", Guido began.

"About what?" Luigi questioned curiously. Then he looked at Doc with fear in his eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"Everythin's fine", Doc assured him. "We just wanna talk to you about somethin'."

Guido and Doc started explaining the situation. It was hard to tell what Luigi was thinking, until he cut them off at the mention of the word _psychologist_.

"Fudgie does not need to see a psychologist!" he insisted. "There is nothing wrong with her! She is perfect just the way she is!"

"We never said there was somethin' wrong with her", Doc pointed out calmly.

"Then why do you think she needs to see a psychologist?!" Luigi demanded.

"Because we wanna find out if she _is_ autistic", Doc explained. "That ain't a bad thing, but we wanna know."

"(What if she needs help with it later in life?)" Guido added. "(Don't you want to help our daughter?)"

"Giving her a label is not going to help her!" Luigi shouted.

"People are gonna give her labels anyway", Doc reasoned. "At least this way, it'll be the right one."

The Fiat shook his hood firmly. "She is not going to see a psychologist! Don't bother making that appointment!" With those words, he stormed off.

"Should I tell him we've already made the appointment?" Doc asked Guido.

"No", he replied. "(It will just upset him. What Luigi doesn't know won't hurt him.)"

* * *

"Fudgie!" Guido called out on Tuesday morning. "(Are you ready to go?!)"

"Si!" Fudge answered, coming downstairs.

"(Do you have shoes on?)" Guido questioned.

" _Si_ ", Fudge repeated, holding up her feet for Guido to see. She was wearing flip-flops.

"I think you will need some socks, angel", Luigi informed her. "If Guido is taking you to get some new shoes."

"(I have socks for her here.)" Guido held them up. "(Come on, Fudgie!)"

"(Do we _have_ to go shopping?)" she complained.

"Si", Guido insisted. "(You need new shoes and we will go out for lunch. It will be fun, okay?)"

"Okay!" Fudge agreed as Guido picked her up. "Bye, Luigi!"

" _Ciao_!" he responded warmly. "Have fun, angel!"

* * *

"What did you tell Luigi?" Doc wanted to know when he met up with Guido and Fudge outside. He was going with them as Guido didn't speak much English.

"(We were getting Fudge some new shoes)", Guido replied. "(So, we will have to go to the shoe store before we come home.)"

"We're not going to the shoe store?" Fudge asked nervously. "You lied to me?!"

"No, no, no, no!" Guido assured her gently. "(We _will_ go to the shoe store. We just need to go somewhere else first.)"

"Are we still gonna have lunch?" Fudge questioned.

Guido and Doc laughed.

" _Si_."

* * *

"What _is_ this place?" Fudge wondered as they arrived at the psychologist's office.

"(You will see)", Guido replied, not sure how to explain it to her.

"Are you taking her to see the psychologist?" a dark-haired human woman wondered as she walked past.

"Yeah", Doc confirmed.

"You think she's autistic or something?"

"Yeah", Doc repeated.

The woman gave him a look of disgust. "This is why you shouldn't vaccinate your kids!" She walked away, shaking her head in disbelief.

Guido gave Doc a confused look. What did _that_ have to do with anything? The medical webpages he had looked at about autism didn't say anything about vaccinations.

"Don't listen to her", he told the forklift before he could say anything. "She doesn't know what she's talkin' about!"

"What does _ostitsic_ mean?" Fudge piped up curiously.

"(You will find out later)", Guido informed her. "(We are going to see someone who will explain everything to you.)"

* * *

When they entered, Doc and Guido introduced themselves and Fudge and explained that she was there for an appointment.

"Yes. Have a seat", the receptionist instructed them. "Dr. Gordon will be here to see you in a moment."

"Thanks."

" _Grazie_."

The waiting area was a nice, homey little place. There were comfortable couches, the walls were decorated with pretty pictures and children's drawings, with a lot of yellow ladybugs, and lots of books, magazines and toys. However, Fudge didn't care about any of that. She was happy to see someone she wasn't expecting at all.

"Luigi!" she cried, running up to him.

Guido and Doc's eyes widened. They weren't expecting Luigi either. The Fiat greeted his daughter warmly, but it was clear that he wasn't happy.

"Fudge, why don't you go and play?" Doc suggested.

"Okay!" Fudge moved over to the toy box where an abacus held her interest and she started fiddling with the beads.

"How did you know we were here?" Doc questioned as soon as the six-year-old was occupied.

"I saw the appointment written in Guido's calendar", the Fiat explained. "I am taking my daughter home now!"

"(No you are not!)" Guido countered. "(She is here now! Why don't we see what the psychologist has to say?)"

"I know what they are going to say!" Luigi responded. "There is nothing wrong with Fudgie!"

"We never said there was anythin' wrong with her", Doc repeated.

"Then why is she here?!"

"Brittney Rossi-Topolino?" a friendly voice called out. A royal purple Volkswagen Beetle with kind blue eyes appeared.

Fudge shrunk back shyly.

"(This is Fudge.)" Guido gestured to her.

"Her name is Brittney, but we call her Fudge", Doc clarified.

"And we are taking her home!" Luigi affirmed. "She does not need to be here!"

"What's going on?" the little girl wanted to know. She was beginning to get afraid, knowing her fathers disagreed on whether or not she should be there.

The Beetle stopped in front of Fudge. "Hi, Fudge. I'm Dr. Gordon."

"Doctor?" the little girl repeated nervously. "Are you going to give me a shot?"

Dr. Gordon chuckled. "I'm not that kind of doctor, sweetie. Do you want to come with me into my office? I have some more toys for you in there and I want to ask you and your dads some questions... Is that okay?"

Fudge glanced longingly at the abacus. Then she looked at Guido and Doc's encouraging looks and finally, Luigi's unimpressed one.

"Okay", she agreed quietly as she let Guido take her hand and they followed Dr. Gordon into her office.

* * *

Luckily for Fudge, there was another abacus in Dr. Gordon's office and soon, she was busy sliding the beads around.

"I just want to watch how she plays while I talk to you", the psychologist explained to the other grown-ups quietly.

Fudge knew the others were talking about her. Dr. Gordon was asking all kinds of questions about her and what kind of behaviour she had. Fudge didn't understand. Why did this stranger want to know why she said the same things over and over again? Or that she found it hard to make friends? Or that she didn't like wearing socks or shoes?

Luigi didn't like the sound of it all either. A lot of the questions she was asking _did_ sound like Fudge, but Dr. Gordon wasn't really suggesting what he thought she was suggesting... Was she?

"I'll go get some puzzles and games for Fudge", Dr. Gordon announced. "I want to see how she does. I'll be back in a sec."

"What are we doing here?" the little girl wondered the second the psychologist was gone.

"Doc and Guido think there is something wrong with you!" Luigi answered before anybody else could.

Fudge's eyes widened in fear. "What? What's wrong with me?!"

 _"Nothin_ '", Doc assured her firmly. "You're just different, that's all."

"In a bad way?"

"(No! Of course not!)" Guido insisted, hugging her.

Luigi shook his hood. "She doesn't need any of this!" he affirmed.

"We'll let Dr. Gordon be the judge of that", Doc informed him.

* * *

When Dr. Gordon returned, she gave Fudge all kinds of games and puzzles, testing her memory, imagination and just her general way of thinking. She also asked Fudge lots of questions about her schooling and whether or not she had any friends. It went on for quite a while and Luigi frowned, still wondering what any of this had to do with anything.

"That was fun!" Fudge declared when it was all over.

"Yeah? Did you have fun?" Doc asked her.

"Yeah! That was the best doctor's appointment ever!"

"Thanks, Fudge", Doc uttered sarcastically, but with a teasing smile on his face.

"No medication, no shots!" the six-year-old cheered.

"And nothing wrong with you!" Luigi insisted.

"There ain't nothin' wrong with her either way", Doc repeated.

"Then why do I have to see a doctor?" Fudge wondered.

* * *

Before anybody could answer, Dr. Gordon returned.

"Well, after everything I've seen today, I would say that Fudge does have Asperger's Syndrome."

"What is that?"

"It is a condition on the autism spectrum, so yes. Fudge _is_ autistic."

Guido gave Luigi a look that said, _I told you so_.

"It's not a bad thing", Dr. Gordon assured Luigi, seeing the look on his face. "All it means is her brain works differently an she may need support with that, especially later in life. It's a good thing you got her diagnosed now because it's harder for autistic girls to get support."

"Why?" Luigi wondered.

"Autism is different in boys than it is in girls", Dr. Gordon explained. "There are people who only tend to see it in boys. That's what those yellow ladybugs are out there. That's the symbol for autistic girls and women."

"Do... Do you think Fudge will always find it hard to make friends?" Luigi wondered.

"Not always", the psychologist replied. "She may struggle for a while, but I've found in a lot of cases, autistic people tend to find each other and make friends with each other. She'll find like-minded people in time."

* * *

They talked a little bit longer about possible support Fudge might need later in life before Luigi announced it was time to go.

"We still need to go the shoe store", he reminded her.

"(Then, since you were so good, why don't we have McDonald's for dinner?)" Guido suggested, helping her into her jacket.

"(Can we get ice cream too?)" the six-year-old requested.

Guido chuckled. "(We will see)", he responded, but everyone knew he was thinking yes.

"So, _was_ there something wrong with me?" she asked as they were leaving.

"No", Guido assured her firmly. "(There is nothing wrong with you! You are just different to other people. You think differently and act differently, but that is not a bad thing. You are still our baby girl.)" Only he wasn't looking at Fudge when he said any of this.

Luigi smiled gratefully.

* * *

Over burgers, fries and ice creams at McDonald's, Luigi, Guido and Doc explained everything to Fudge. They told her what autism was and what that meant for her.

"So, I still could have friends one day?" she questioned before taking another sip of her soda.

"Of course!" Doc insisted. "Just because you find it hard to make friends, doesn't mean you don't deserve friends. Everybody deserves friends." He paused and added, "Believe me, I know."

"When you find people who understand you, I am sure you will have lots of friends", Luigi promised, kissing her.

"I already do!" Fudge informed him.

"You do?"

She nodded. "You guys and everyone in Radiator Springs is my best friend!"

The other three beamed.

* * *

Ten Years Later...

"Hi, guys!" sixteen-year-old Fudge entered a private booth at the racetrack.

"It's Fudge Rossi-Topolino!" all of the kids cheered excitedly, flapping hands and rocking back and forth.

"It's Cruz Ramirez!" they added, equally excited as her best friend entered.

Today was a very special day. Not only was there a race going on, but that Sunday was April second, World Autism Day. So, in honour of that, Fudge had suggested that they invite autistic children to the track, up in their own private booth where it wasn't so loud.

"Fudge!" a little girl of about six cried, racing up to the Piston Cup rider! She wore a racing T-shirt and hair clips that looked like yellow ladybugs. The girl also had a big smile on her face, but didn't look at Fudge. "You're my hero!"

"Aw, thank you!" The girl blushed. "What's your name?"

"Gemma", she answered with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Gemma."

"Mommy said you organised all of this for us."

"I did", Fudge confirmed with a smile and a nod.

"Thank you! This is so awesome!" Gemma exclaimed excitedly.

Her mother approached and smiled. "Thank you so much for doing this, Ms. Rossi. Gemma has been having such a tough time lately with school and making friends. It's good to see her her smile."

Fudge shrugged modestly. "That's okay. I know what it's like to not fit in or have any friends."

"You don't have friends?" Gemma asked in surprise.

"I didn't when I was your age", Fudge clarified. "I do now. Some day, people are going to realise just how great you really are."

Gemma beamed. "Thanks, Fudge."

"Well!" Fudge announced after talking to some of the other kids, "it's time for us to go to the track. Who wants to wish us luck?!"

"Good luck!" everyone yelled.

Fudge grinned. "Hope you enjoy the race!"

* * *

"Hey, Fudge!" her friends greeted her when she arrived down at the track a few minutes after Cruz. Her friends were Danny Swervez, Chase Racelott, Bubba Wheelhouse, Ryan "Inside" Laney and the other three human riders: Flick Turner, Blake Fitzgibbons and Joey Sparks.

"We were afraid you weren't gonna show up!" Ryan teased.

"It's not like Fudge Rossi-Topolino to miss the race", Blake added.

"I'm here now!" Fudge chuckled, fastening her helmet to her head. "Maybe one of you might come second to us this time!" she joked. There was never any cockiness or arrogance to her when she said stuff like this. It was always just good-natured teasing.

Everyone laughed.

"Seriously, though", she went on sincerely, "good luck, guys."

"Good luck!" the others all chorused.

* * *

Luigi and Guido beamed as they watched their daughter, talking and laughing with her friends.

When the group dispersed, Fudge turned to Cruz. "Are you ready for this?" she quizzed her best friend.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Cruz confirmed.

Fudge grinned, climbing up onto the yellow car's roof. "We're gonna win this thing!"

The two Italians were still parked there, smiling as they drove off to the track.

"She has finally made some friends", Luigi commented proudly.

"(And now, there are so many people who realise how great she really is!)" Guido added, gesturing to the crowds in the stadium, sporting 51 decals. "(She is beautiful, talented and so kind! It was kind of her to hold that event for other children like her.)"

They were silent for a moment, glancing at the monitors, which showed Fudge with a big smile on her face.

"I am so glad she is happy", Luigi proclaimed.

"(Me too)", Guido agreed softly. "(And you know, there is nothing wrong with her.)"

Luigi smiled and nodded. "I know. I suppose I did not need to be worried after all."

They certainly didn't. Fudge had a job she loved, great friends and- most importantly- she was still their daughter.

 **Like I said, I didn't have many ideas for this one, especially not for the ending. I hope it didn't come across as preachy because I wanted to show that autism isn't something to be ashamed of without sounding preachy.**

 **I based some of the stuff Fudge does on stuff I did when I was a kid and stuff I do now. I've never had a big meltdown like she does, but I thought it would make sense for her, considering she's never been out of Radiator Springs before and now, she's in the big city. It would be overwhelming for anybody. I included the part about vaccinations because it's a load of BS!** **And the yellow ladybug is a symbol for girls and women with autism; I don't know if that's just where I live, though, but I thought I'd include it anyway.**

 **No hate comments will be tolerated! If you're going to criticise, let it be about the actual writing itself _and_ be constructive and respectful.**


	27. RJ in RS

**I feel like I should've done something like this a little while ago, but I've just never had the ideas. So, here it is. Fudge and RJ (and Sammy) are still trying to figure out how to be siblings and there's so much they still don't know about each other. So, I've tried to reflect that here.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **RJ in RS**

"So, Fudge, are you excited to have your brother come and visit, honey?" Flo asked her, serving the twelve-year-old human girl with her dinner.

"You know what? I think I am!"

"What do you mean you think?" Sarge wondered.

"Well, I guess I'm still nervous. I still don't really know him all that well and we kind of got off on the wrong foot."

"He does seem like a nice guy, though", Lightning remarked. "I can't wait to see him again."

"And we're all looking forward to meeting him", Sally added. Only Luigi, Guido, Lightning and Mater had met Fudge's half-brother River Patrick Rose, Junior- or RJ, as he preferred to be called- and even they had only met him briefly. "I've got his cone all ready for him. He'll be glad to know it's number one." Anybody who stayed at the Cozy Cone Motel hoped to stay in cone number one since the great Lightning McQueen had stayed there once.

Fudge grinned. "I think he'll like that."

"It's nice that he chose to spend his week-long break from school here, man", Ramone commented. "I mean, if he goes to boarding school, I'm surprised he didn't choose to go home."

"Plus, since his school's in Florida, a bunch of his friends were going to Disney World", Fudge added. "He could've gone with them."

"Well, Fudgie, you should get some sleep once you have finished your dinner", Luigi informed her. "We are getting up early to pick RJ up from the airport."

"Aw, but I don't wanna go to bed!" the girl complained.

"I know you don't, but I am sure you are not going to enjoy the early morning either!" Luigi laughed.

* * *

"Do you see him?" Luigi quizzed Fudge.

"No..." Fudge didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't remember _exactly_ what he looked like. She remembered he had blonde hair and blue eyes; he was tall and thin and he wore glasses. She just didn't have the precise look of his face memorised. Still, she was ninety-nine per cent sure she'd recognise him if she saw him.

Just as she was starting to worry that that wouldn't be the case, amidst the crowd came the flashing light of a camera.

"I think I see him!" Fudge announced to her fathers.

"Fudge!" a southern accent called out.

"Hi!" Fudge exclaimed, catching sight of the seventeen-year-old dressed in shorts and a _Star Wars_ T-shirt.

As the two siblings approached, there was a moment of discomfort and uncertainty. Should they shake hands? This wasn't the first time they'd met. Do they hug? Were they close enough to do that? In the end, they went for the most awkward hug of all time.

It didn't take Fudge long to pull apart. "You remember my parents, Guido and Luigi, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah." RJ offered each of them a handshake. "It's nice to see you again."

"And you remember Sir Tow Mater?" Fudge went on. Mater had accompanied them to the airport to give the two humans a ride home.

"How could I forget? Hey, Sir Mater."

"Howdy dere, Mr. Fudge's brother. You kin jus' call me Mater."

"Well, you can just call me RJ."

* * *

After grabbing RJ's bags from baggage claim, the five made their way out of the airport and headed in the direction of Radiator Springs.

"It's about three hours to town", Fudge explained.

"That's all right", RJ assured her. "I'm used to the long drives. Thomasville ain't exactly a bustling city."

"Why don't you tell us about Thomasville?" Luigi suggested. "Is that where you live?"

"Yeah", RJ confirmed. "I've lived there since I was four. So, it's in Georgia and it's famous for having one of the first Piston Cup tracks."

"Really?" Mater was fascinated. He didn't know much about racing, but it was important to his best friend, so he was interested in it.

"Yeah! That's where Doc used to race!" Fudge jumped in.

"Really?" Now, Luigi, Guido _and_ Mater were all fascinated.

"Yep", RJ answered. "A bunch of his old racing friends still live there."

"What are they up to nowadays?" Fudge wanted to know.

* * *

They chatted about racing, Radiator Springs, Thomasville and the latest news in their lives all the way back to the small town.

When RJ caught his first glimpse of the place, he was impressed.

"Wow!" he exclaimed softly. Immediately, he began taking photos. "This desert landscape is just amazing!"

"Yeah..." Fudge smiled. "I think so too."

"I can see why you love it here!" RJ remarked.

"There are so many great spots around here", Fudge informed him. "I'm sure you could get some pictures near the Wheel Well and the waterfall."

"There's a waterfall around here?" RJ asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we'll head there later. But first, my family really wanna meet you."

* * *

"Hi, guys!" Fudge greeted the rest of her family, who were all gathered at Flo's for lunch.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" they all responded.

"There's someone here I want you to meet." The twelve-year-old gestured to the seventeen-year-old beside her. "This is my half-brother, River Rose, Junior."

"You can just call me RJ", he spoke up with an embarrassed laugh.

"Hey, RJ!" Lightning grinned. "It's good to see you again!"

"Yeah, you too!"

"So, you know Lightning and Mater, Guido and Luigi", Fudge began the introductions. "This is Sally, Lightning's girlfriend and she's the one who runs the motel where you'll be staying."

"It's nice to finally meet you, RJ", Sally informed him. "We've heard so much about you."

"And this is Flo, who runs the café. That's her husband, Ramone. That's Sheriff. That's Sarge and Fillmore. And this is Red. And Lizzie."

RJ nodded with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you all."

"RJ? Can I get you anythin' to eat, honey?" Flo offered.

"Yeah. That would be great. Thanks. Just, uh..."

"You don't eat meat", Flo finished.

"Oh. Did Fudge tell you already?"

"Yep."

* * *

Most of lunch was spent getting to know RJ. The members of the small town who had never met him yet (and even those who had, but didn't know him very well) asked him all kinds of polite questions about where he lived, what he enjoyed doing and how he liked school. He answered all of the questions with equal politeness.

Finally, when everyone had finished eating, Sally spoke up. "Well, RJ. Why don't you come with me to take your bags over to the Cozy Cone?"

"Sure", he agreed.

"You know, you're very lucky", Fudge informed him as she, Lightning and Sally showed RJ to his cone. "You get to stay in cone number one. Everyone knows that's the best one!"

"Really? Why's that?"

"I stayed there once", Lightning explained.

"Really?" RJ repeated excitedly. "I get to stay in the same motel room _the_ Lightning McQueen once stayed in!"

Lightning nodded with a grin. "That's right!"

"For several months", Sally added. "That's where he first lived when he moved here, but then he moved in with me and the rest is history", she finished with a smile at her boyfriend.

"Wow! I'm so glad I didn't go to Disney World!"

He set down a framed photo on the bedside table. Fudge glanced at it and saw a photo of her brother dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, cuddling a brown and white collie.

"I didn't know you had a dog", Fudge remarked, looking at it.

"Yeah. His name is Chewbacca. You know, from _Star Wars_?" He gestured to his shirt. "I've been obsessed with Star Wars since I was a kid. Chewie's always been my favourite, so I named my dog after him."

"Oh, yeah. Well, I've never seen _Star Wars_ , but I know who Chewbacca is!" The twelve-year-old was giggling as she spoke.

"What's so funny?" RJ wondered.

"I didn't even know you had a dog!" Fudge repeated. "It seems like the kind of thing a sister should know about her brother!"

RJ laughed too. "I guess so!"

* * *

"You ready to go?" Fudge quizzed RJ about twenty minutes later. She was going to show him around Radiator Springs.

"Yeah. Just let me grab my camera." He picked it up from the desk where he'd put it down to put his bags away. "I never go sightseeing without my trusty camera."

"So, I've seen." Fudge smiled, recalling how attached to that thing he'd seemed when they were in London and Edinburgh.

"Let's go."

So, their tour of Radiator Springs began.

"Most of the town itself you can see here." Fudge pointed out all of the stores and businesses in the small town from Fillmore's organic fuel and the drive-in theatre at one end of town to the courthouse at the other.

"Nice", RJ remarked, constantly taking photos.

"Just let me know when you're ready to move on", Fudge told him.

"So, where's the waterfall and this Wheel Well?" he wanted to know.

"We'll get to those. First, we should go to Willy's Butte. That's closer."

* * *

Wow!" RJ exclaimed softly, taking in Willy's Butte. "Very beautiful landscape. This is where some of the greatest Piston Cup racers train."

"That's right!" Fudge confirmed. "But what about where _you_ live? Thomasville is home to the greats too!"

RJ nodded. "Yeah. Of course. You know, I would love to see Lightning McQueen race while I'm here."

"He'll be training at about four", Fudge informed him. "We can come back then."

RJ nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Beep, beep, beep!

RJ looked around, puzzled. "What's that?"

Fudge's eyes widened in alarm. It was her spy watch! Before she could figure out how to stop it, Sammy's face appeared. " _Fudge?_ "

RJ was even more confused. "Is that Sammy?"

" _Is that RJ_?" Sammy asked, equally surprised.

"Not a good time!" Fudge informed Sammy, fearing that her sister's cover would be blown.

"Hey, Sammy!" RJ called, peering at Fudge's watch.

" _Hey, RJ_!" she responded as if nothing strange was going on.

"I've never seen a watch that can do that", RJ remarked. "How is it..."

" _Fudge and I got these in Japan_ ", Sammy explained. RJ knew they met during the World Grand Prix. " _You know how technologically advanced Japan is._ "

"That's true. It looks like something secret agents would use."

Sammy burst out laughing. " _Secret agents?_ " she repeated. " _That's a good one, bro!_ "

Fudge smiled weakly.

" _So, what's up, guys?_ " Sammy wanted to know.

"RJ's visiting me in Radiator Springs", Fudge explained. "He gets a week off school, so..."

" _That's great!_ " Sammy proclaimed. " _I think that's a great thing for both of you!_ "

Each of them felt their faces turn red in embarrassment. "Thanks..."

" _Be sure to check out the Wheel Well, RJ! It's beautiful up there!_ "

"Yeah, we're heading there next!" Fudge informed her sister. "Well, we're stopping at the waterfall on the way."

" _Oh, good! You'll love that... And, Fudge, if RJ ever gets annoying, just tell him-"_

"Shut up, Sammy!" RJ interjected.

" _Hey, Fudge! Can I talk to you alone for a sec?_ "

Fudge felt her heart rate shoot up in anxiety. She knew this was about being a spy, but RJ would probably get angry and hurt like in London. Luckily, all he did was raise an eyebrow and leave.

"What's up?" Fudge questioned as soon as her brother was no longer within earshot.

" _Remember how Finn, Holley and I just saved a whole bunch of foreign dignitaries from being assassinated?_ "

Fudge nodded. "Yeah?"

" _Well, guess what! Holley and I are getting knighted by the Queen for it!_ "

" _Really_?!" the younger sister exclaimed in amazement.

" _Really_ ", Sammy confirmed.

"That's _awesome_! Congratulations!"

" _Thanks.. I didn't wanna admit it, but I was... a little jealous when you and Mater got knighted. I wished_ I _could do something so amazing the Queen decided to knight_ me _. So, this is pretty cool!_ "

"It is pretty cool!" Fudge agreed. She was so happy for Sammy and Holley. (Finn wasn't getting knighted because he already had.)

" _The ceremony's next week_ ", Sammy informed her. " _If Siddeley comes and picks you up, do you think you could make it? We'd really love it if all of you, especially you and Mater, could be there. Holley's getting in touch with Mater right now._ "

"I think so. I'll have to talk to the others about it."

" _Thanks, Fudge! You're the best!_ "

"But what about RJ?" Fudge wondered.

Sammy looked blank. " _What about him?_ "

"You're not gonna invite him?"

Sammy sighed. " _You_ know _I can't do that._ "

"I was just thinking... Well, if it were me, _I'd_ want _my_ brother there", Fudge pointed out. When _she_ got knighted, it had been very hard for her to not have Doc there.

" _You think I don't_ want _to invite my own brother?!"_ Sammy shot back. " _Hell, I'd give_ anything _to have him there! I just_ can't _have him there! RJ can never know I'm a spy!_ "

"I know..."

" _I know you do_ ", Sammy responded quietly. " _I've thought about this as well._ "

Fudge decided she better change the subject. "So, how can I annoy RJ?"

Giggling, Sammy told her. Then she sighed again. " _Well, I guess I better go. Me, Finn and Holley are goin' out for drinks to celebrate._ "

"Okay... Well, I hope to see you in a week."

"See ya!"

" _Bye!_ "

Sammy's face disappeared.

* * *

"What did Sammy want?" RJ wanted to know.

"Oh, she... she was just talking about Finn's birthday... You met Finn, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So..." Fudge tried to change the subject. "Shall we continue with the tour?" she suggested, putting on the poshest voice she could muster.

* * *

So, they did. Fudge took her brother to the waterfall where they even stopped to take a brief swim, followed by the Wheel Well Motel. RJ was stunned by the natural beauty of the town and its surrounding area. He got a lot of use out of his camera that day.

"I'm gonna need some more film!" he remarked on their way towards Willy's Butte. "You must really love living here!"

"I do!" Fudge informed him seriously. "This is my home... And everyone you met earlier is my family."

RJ smiled softly. "Not a bad family."

"Nope... I'm pretty lucky."

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Lightning called out, waiting for them at Willy's Butte.

"Hey, Lightning!" Fudge called out.

"Hey, Mr. McQueen!" RJ echoed.

"Hey! RJ, we're brothers, all right? You can call me Lightning."

"Right!" RJ chuckled. "I've always wanted a brother... Wait. How old are you again? I should know how old my brother is."

"Just turned twenty-six in September."

"Wow! You're older than Sammy then!"

"I am?"

Fudge nodded. "Sammy's twenty-three."

"All right... Well, Fudge-O! What do you say we show our brother how we race in Radiator Springs?"

"Okay!" Fudge agreed, strapping into her magnets and climbing onto Lightning's roof.

"RJ, would you like to do the honours?" Lightning offered.

The seventeen-year-old boy had no idea what he was talking about. "Uh..."

"'On your marks, get set, go!'" Fudge prompted him.

"Oh! Yeah! On your marks, get set, go!"

* * *

When Lightning shot off with Fudge, all RJ could do was watch with bated breath. He'd seen some of the biggest legends of the sport race back in Thomasville, of course, but this was a champion in his prime! It was amazing to watch.

Plus, he knew Fudge liked to go out racing with Lightning McQueen, but he'd never seen her in action. Even if you didn't know anything about racing (though, RJ did), it was clear that Fudge had talent. He couldn't wait to brag to all of his friends at school that his sister was going to be a Piston Cup champion one day.

"Whoo! Good run!" Lightning declared as he came to a stop after about half an hour.

"Yeah, that was fun!" Fudge agreed, adjusting her helmet slightly, so she could wipe some sweat off her forehead.

"That was amazing!" RJ exclaimed. "Lightning, you look so cool racing on TV, but twice as awesome in real life!"

"Really? Thanks!"

"And Fudge!" RJ marvelled. "You're a shoo-in for the Piston Cup, no doubt!"

Fudge blushed. "Thanks..."

"So, I think it's time we start heading back", Lightning announced.

"Yeah, I could really go for a lemonade at Flo's!" Fudge wiped some more sweat away.

"That sounds good!" RJ put in.

"Last one to Flo's buys!" Fudge challenged, zipping in the direction of the cafe.

Lightning laughed and chased after her. "You're on!"

"Wait for me!" RJ hollered, taking off after them. Then he stopped. "Hey... What's that?"

Fudge skidded to a halt, almost slipping over in the dirt. "What's what?"

RJ started walking off course and when Fudge saw where he was going, she panicked. "RJ!" she called, running after him. "RJ, wait!"

Too late. He was stood exactly where Fudge didn't want him. He glanced down at the ground in front of him.

"This is the grave of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet?" he asked in surprise. "That's so cool!"

"It's _not_ cool!" Fudge countered through gritted teeth. She grabbed his arm and tried to yank him away, but RJ was significantly bigger than she was. "Let's go!"

"But I wanted to-" RJ began, reaching for his camera.

"Stop!" Fudge shouted. "Just _stop_! Do you have to take a photo of _everything_?!"

"Everything that interests me."

"Can we just go?!" Fudge requested, irate.

RJ sighed, clearly annoyed. "Fine!"

"Fudge?" Lightning ventured. "You okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing", she groaned.

"Fudge, it's me", he pointed out.

"Don't worry about it."

However, Lightning couldn't not worry about it.

* * *

Fudge was sullen all the way through dinner at Flo's. Her family asked her if she was okay and she said yes, but they weren't convinced. Something was definitely bothering her.

"I don't know what happened", Lightning informed the others after Fudge had gone home and RJ was in the bathroom. "I thought we were having a good time and then she just got upset for some reason."

"It _does_ seem a little odd", Sarge remarked. "Sure, it's not going to be easy for either of them at first, but it seemed to be going so well."

"Let's leave her alone for a little while", Sally suggested. "Maybe it'll do her some good to have some space for a while."

* * *

Fudge didn't come out of her bedroom for the rest of the night, but she seemed to be in a better mood in the morning.

"Where's RJ?" the twelve-year-old wondered.

"He hasn't come out of his cone yet", Sally replied.

"Oh. Okay."

"You feeling better, Fudge-O?" Lightning wanted to know.

"Yeah, I was just a little upset."

"Why?" Flo wondered.

"Hey, y'all! Guess what!" Mater shouted, racing to a stop at Flo's. "Sammy and Holley is gettin' knighted!"

"They _are_?!" a bunch of the others asked in amazement.

"Yeah", Fudge confirmed. "Sammy told me about it yesterday. 'Cause they stopped that assassination."

"Good for them!" Lightning remarked sincerely.

"Yeah! They is the greatest spies in all of da world!" Mater shouted. "Along with Finn, me and Fudge, of course!"

"Yeah!" Fudge agreed, laughing. "Sammy wanted us to be there! Can I go?!"

"Of course!" Luigi beamed. "You can't miss your own sister being knighted!"

"Well, I don't-" Fudge began.

She stopped short, noticing that RJ was stood there. He was just staring with this hurt look on his face. His lips trembled, his chin quivered and he looked like he was about to burst into tears. Fudge wasn't sure what upset him more: what happened the day before of what she'd just said (because there was no way he didn't hear it).

"Good mornin', RJ!" Flo came out to greet him. "I hope you're hungry, honey, 'cause-"

"I'm _not_ hungry!" he blurted out in a wobbly voice. "I wanna go home!"

Fudge felt ashamed of herself. "Look, RJ-"

"No!" he shouted. "I can't stay here! I have to go home! _Now!_ "

"But-" Fudge tried again.

"I've already booked a flight home and I'll be leaving as soon as-" Now, it was RJ's turn to stop short and his entire body seemed to stiffen up.

"RJ?" Fudge ventured.

Half a second later, the teenager was sprawled out across the floor, shaking violently.

"RJ!" Fudge screamed, rushing towards him.

Guido held her back as Sarge and Sheriff approached RJ.

"What's wrong with him?" Fudge wondered anxiously.

Nobody knew.

"I'll call an ambulance!" Sally offered, speeding off to do just that.

* * *

Fudge couldn't really tell you what had transpired between that moment and sitting, waiting at the emergency room.

"What was wrong with him?" Fudge questioned.

"I don't know, Fudge", Luigi responded quietly.

"Will he be okay?"

"I don't know", Luigi repeated.

* * *

Beep, beep, beep!

Fudge's eyes widened. "Be right back!" She shot off to the bathrooms and ducked into a stall just as Sammy's face appeared.

" _Fudge! Where are you?_ " Sammy wanted to know.

"At the hospital."

" _Oh, my God! What happened?!_ " her sister demanded.

"RJ just... fell down!"

" _Say no more! I'm on my way!_ " With that, her image disappeared.

* * *

"Fudgie!" Luigi called out when she returned and she could see there was a doctor standing by him.

"What is it?!" she demanded fearfully. "Is he okay?"

"He is fine!" Luigi assured her.

"Your brother had an epileptic seizure", the doctor explained. "I suppose they can be scary if you don't know what they are, but he's going to be fine."

Fudge remembered hearing a little bit about epilepsy from Doc, so she just nodded.

"You can go and see him if you want", the doctor continued. "He's in Room 416."

"Thank you!" Fudge headed off with Guido and Luigi right behind her.

* * *

RJ did look a lot better when they arrived in his room.

"How you feeling?" the twelve-year-old human girl ventured.

"I was a little confused at first, but I'm doing okay", he assured her.

Fudge smiled and nodded. "Good... Look, RJ, we need to talk-"

"I'm here!" a breathless voice called out as Sammy dashed into the room. "I'm here!"

"Wow!" Fudge exclaimed in amazement. "That was fast!" Normally, it would take Siddeley no more than half an hour to fly from London to Radiator Springs, so that was fast, even for Siddeley!

"Sammy? How'd you get here so fa-"

RJ was cut off by a hard slap in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he moaned. "What'd you do _that_ for?!"

"You idiot!" Sammy hissed. "Why the f**k weren't you wearing your f**king medical bracelet?! You've got it for a f**king reason!"

"Medical bracelet?" Fudge echoed, puzzled.

"Yeah! He has a bracelet that _clearly_ states that he has epilepsy! If he'd been f**king wearing it, you wouldn't have been so f**king scared!"

"I... I didn't want to wear it", RJ piped up in a small voice.

" **YOU DIDN'T _WANT_ TO?!**" Sammy repeated incredulously.

"It's _embarrassing_!" he insisted. "I don't want anyone to worry about me!"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?!" Sammy scoffed in disgust. "You've just made everyone f**king worry even more because you _weren't_ wearin' it!" She spent the next two minutes ranting at her brother for his utter stupidity.

"I think that is enough, Sammy", Luigi piped up, afraid a doctor or nurse would come and investigate the yelling and profanities.

Sammy sighed. "Fine!" she agreed reluctantly as Guido and Luigi slipped out of the room to give the Rose siblings a moment alone. Then she hugged her brother. "I'm so glad you're okay, though."

"Me too", Fudge agreed. "I didn't know you had epilepsy... _That's_ the kind of thing a sister should know about her brother."

RJ smiled weakly. "I guess so."

"I _know_ so", Sammy affirmed sternly.

"It's genetic", RJ explained to Fudge. "It runs in the family."

"You mean _I_ -" Fudge began worriedly.

"No, no!" Sammy cut her off. "It runs in the family on our _mother's_ side, so you're good."

"Okay."

"Just answer me one thing, Sammy", RJ requested.

"What?"

"How did you get here so fast?"

"I was on my way to Radiator Springs anyway", Sammy lied. "Fudge and I planned it weeks ago, but I wanted it to be a surprise for you. That's what Fudge and I were talking about yesterday."

It amazed Fudge how easily Sammy could lie. She knew it came as part of her job, but still.

"Really?" RJ questioned. "I'm sure you would've headed straight to Thomasville when you heard the news. You must've known _I_ was!"

"Oh! Right!" Sammy recalled. "How you doin'?"

RJ's only response was to have his eyes bubble up with tears.

Fudge took a deep breath. "RJ, look! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get upset yesterday, but I-"

He cut her off. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you didn't mean to do anything wrong, but it's just... Doc meant a lot to me and it's hard for me to-"

RJ burst into tears.

"I'm sorry I-" Fudge began.

"Fudge, shut up!" Sammy broke in. "This isn't about you."

"Of course it is!" Fudge insisted. "I was-"

"I said shut up!" Sammy repeated, making Fudge very angry. She didn't appreciate how much she was being interrupted. Plus, she always hated being told to shut up. "RJ's dog just died."

Fudge's heart pounded in shock. "What?"

"Chewbacca..." RJ explained through his tears. "He was old... He had arthritis and it's just been getting could barely walk yesterday, so... So, they put him to sleep." He cried harder.

"Oh, RJ! I'm so sorry!" Fudge exclaimed sympathetically.

"It's okay. You didn't know." He shook his head in disbelief. "He was my best friend. Grandma got him for me after Mom died and he's been my best friend ever since. Whenever I'd had a bad day, he'd be there, waiting for me. He didn't care that I didn't fit in at school or that I was a massive nerd... He just loved me."

"C'mere!" Sammy wrapped her arms around her brother and Fudge slipped out quietly. She still didn't feel she was quite part of the family and figured that the brother and sister needed to be alone.

* * *

"She's going to be late!" Finn commented anxiously, keeping one eye on the skies, hoping to spot Siddeley and the other eye on Buckingham Palace behind him.

"I don't understand you, Finn McMissile", Holley remarked with a laugh.

Finn was perplexed. "What do you mean by that?"

"You've constantly had guns pointed at your face or bombs planted on your roof and you're concerned about Sammy being late."

Mater and Fudge giggled.

Finn smiled too, despite himself. "I suppose... But you two deserve to be knighted. I don't want Sammy to miss this."

"I don't think she will!" Fudge observed, pointing upwards towards a streak of silver in the sky.

When Sid landed, Finn, Holley, Mater and Fudge rushed forward to greet him and Sammy. (The rest of the Radiator Springs residents, unfortunately, couldn't make it.)

"Sammy!" Fudge and Mater hollered in unison.

However, when the ramp was lowered, the group received a surprise. Sammy wasn't the only one there.

"Fudge!" RJ threw his arms around his sister.

"RJ!" Fudge laughed. "I wasn't expecting to see _you_ here!" She hadn't seen her brother in a week. He'd returned to Thomasville shortly after being discharged from the hospital to say goodbye to Chewbacca before heading back to school.

"Well, we weren't gonna miss Sammy bein' knighted by the Queen of England, were we?" a new voice spoke up.

Fudge whirled around to find four cars there. She recognised three of them right away and the fourth- a brown-orange pickup truck- looked vaguely familiar.

"Louise Nash?! Junior Moon?! River Scott?!" the twelve-year-old squealed excitedly.

"I thought you might recognise some of my family", Sammy commented with a grin. "And this is Smokey, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet's crew chief."

Finn nodded politely. "Nice to meet you all."

Junior Moon looked Fudge up and down. "So, this is River's daughter?" Noticing the panicked expression on River Scott's face, he added, "I mean, not _this_ River! River Rose."

"I was gonna say!" River Scott laughed in relief. "You know somethin' I don't, Junior?"

Everyone laughed.

"And this is your half-sister", Louise Nash added.

Fudge nodded, giggling excitedly and nervously. She was barely able to speak, but she managed to utter a, "Hi!"

"And these are your British spy partners?" River asked, looking at Finn and Holley.

"Yep!" Sammy confirmed. "This is Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. And this is Sir Tow Mater."

"Wow!" RJ shook his head in disbelief. "So, it's true! I can't believe my sister is really a spy!"

"We always knew she wasn't bein' honest about her career", Smokey explained. "Now, we know why."

This was followed by more laughter.

"So!" Finn announced. "Let's go inside! They're all waiting for us!"

As they all started to file into the palace, Sammy stopped Fudge.

"Thank you!"

Fudge was confused. "For what?"

"My family wouldn't be here if it weren't for your words", Sammy clarified. "You were right! I couldn't bear it if my family weren't here, so.. Thank you."

Fudge blushed and shrugged modestly. "No problem."

"But that doesn't mean I won't be takin' care of it later on!" She showed off what looked like a water pistol hidden in one of her high heels. Fudge recognised it right away as the gun that had wiped RJ's memory in Edinburgh.

Fudge grinned. "I wouldn't expect anything different from you."

"Yeah, well, I thought it would be a good compromise."

"Fudge! Sammy!" RJ called out. "You comin' or what?"

"We better go", Sammy stated the obvious.

Fudge grinned again. "Go get 'em, Sammy!"

* * *

"So, RJ", Fudge whispered in the middle of a long speech before Sammy and Holley were supposed to come on, "you doing okay?"

"Yeah", he responded softly. "It was hard to say goodbye to Chewie, but I was glad I got the closure."

The twelve-year-old nodded in understanding. "And listen, I am sorry I got mad at you." Even though RJ was never really upset about it, Fudge knew she needed to apologise. "It's just... Doc's death was very hard on me. I can't open up about it much, so I was a little upset when you saw the grave. But... it's the type of thing I should be open about with my brother."

"Yeah, I get it", RJ assured her. "I'm sorry too... I was bein' insensitive." He sighed. "Death _isn_ ' _t_ cool. I know that."

Fudge didn't answer. Holley and Sammy were coming down the aisle. They both looked excited, but a little nervous too. Fudge couldn't recall ever seeing Sammy nervous. Despite that, she was still confident as she curtsied before the Queen.

"I hereby dub thee Lady Holley Shiftwell and Lady Samantha Rose", the Queen declared, tapping Holley on each fender and Sammy on each shoulder with her antennae.

The crowd clapped and cheered. Mater raced up to Holley and gave her a kiss. RJ and Fudge charged at their big sister and each threw their arms around her. Sammy laughed and the Rose siblings were enveloped in a group hug.

Fudge and RJ caught each other's eyes and smiled. Maybe they didn't really feel like brother and sister just yet, but their bond was definitely growing. It was safe to say that they thought of each other as friends.

* * *

Three Weeks Later:

"Welcome back, RJ!" Fudge greeted her half-brother as he arrived at the Cozy Cone Motel.

He grinned. "Glad to _be_ back!"

"Well, if you wanna come with me to your cone", Fudge began. "It's cone number one again."

RJ grinned. "Great!"

After RJ was settled into his cone, he and Fudge headed off in the direction of Willy's Butte. Fudge noticed two things. One, he was wearing his medical bracelet. Two, he had the photo of him and Chewbacca in his back pocket.

"It makes me feel like I've got him with me", he'd explained.

Fudge knew what he meant. Sometimes, she liked to talk to her Fabulous Hudson Hornet figurine.

"So... What are we doin' first?" RJ wanted to know.

"There's someone I want you to meet", Fudge answered. She gestured to the grave in front of her. "This is my mentor, doctor and grandfather figure, Doc Hudson. You may know him as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet." (Since RJ had had his memory erased of her apology, Fudge had given him a note before he got on the plane back to Florida.)

RJ smiled. "Nice to meet you, Doc. I've heard so much about you over the years. Everyone in Thomasville still really misses you."

"Huh! Funny", Fudge remarked.

"What?" RJ wondered.

"How I wound up here while you lived in Thomasville. You know, a member of my family was close friends with _your_ family."

"I know... What are the odds of that?"

"If I had a nickel for every time Sammy and I've asked ourselves that question, I'd be the world's youngest billionaire", Fudge responded. She smiled. "I think this whole thing was meant to be."

RJ nodded. "I feel the same way. I'm glad I've got two great sisters."

"I'm glad _I've_ got three great brothers."

There was a brief moment of content silence.

Then a devilish grin spread across the sister's face as she recalled her conversation with Sammy. "Hey, RJ?"

He looked her way. "Hmm?"

"Dumbledore is my favourite Pokemon from _Star Trek: The Empire Strikes Back_ because he has the TARDIS!" Fudge proclaimed, giggling.

RJ groaned. "Sammy told you to say that, didn't she?"

"Yep", Fudge confirmed.

"I take it back then! I have two horrible sisters!"

"That's just rude!" Fudge shouted as she took off in the direction of town.

"Get back here!" RJ demanded, chasing after her.

And so, half-brother and half-sister chased each other back to Flo's, laughing all the way.

 **I hope you enjoyed. I don't know much about epilepsy, but I did a little bit of research to write this. I apologise in advance if there are any inaccuracies.**

 **Now, I've got good news and bad news.**

 **The bad news is this'll be the last oneshot for a while.**

 **The good news is that's because I'll be working on some longer projects like the _Cars Origins_ trilogy. I have two other projects coming soon, but I want to get this and _Origins_ done first. Those projects are listed on my profile, if you're interested.**

 **In the meantime, please review!**


	28. Florida 500 Alternate Version

**Well, tonight's my last night in my old house. :( It sucks. Everything's changing...**

 **...which is why I thought this would be a fitting last update in this house. This is an old version of the Florida 500 scene in _Driven to Win_. I don't love this version, but I guess I don't have to to post it. It's kind of like when they show you deleted scenes from a movie.**

 **In this version, Mary Wilcox appears at the race and Sammy doesn'** **t. This is the early version where I originally killed her off in _Ride_ (I'm so glad I didn't!). Please ignore plot holes or things that don't make sense. That's why this is a deleted scene. **

**Florida 500 Alternate Version**

At that moment, the announcement came, informing the racers that it was their last call to get to the track,

Lightning took a deep breath. "All right. This is it", he murmured, more to himself than anybody else. This was what his career- his _fate_ \- had come down to. Out loud, he instructed his friends, "Wish me luck." His voice was shaky and not nearly as confident as he'd normally be saying that.

"Good luck!" everyone called as Lightning left.

"Oh, my God!" Fudge breathed, watching him go. "I'm so nervous for him!"

* * *

When he was gone, three more people showed up in his pits. The first two arrived together: Sterling and a familiar pale pink 1959 Cadillac El Dorado. It was Mary Wilcox, the social worker that had tried to send Fudge away from Radiator Springs eleven years ago. She seemed to recognise Fudge right away.

" _You_!" she exclaimed. "I hope you're happy! I could've saved you from an awful life in that backwater town! Instead, you ruined your own life and got _me_ fired!"

"Hey!" Luigi barked, getting between his daughter and the former social worker. "Don't you talk to my daughter _ever again_!"

"You _know_ her?" Sterling questioned incredulously, looking from Fudge to Mary.

At the same time, Fudge asked the same question, looking from Mary to Sterling.

"She's my wife!" Sterling explained as his wife exclaimed, "That's the little brat that got me fired!"

"I heard you almost got killed racing with a car!" Mary spat the words out. She had that same look the RS gang remembered. It was a look that said, _Everyone's an idiot, except for_ _me!_ "Well, that was kind of dangerous! I _knew_ something like that would happen if you were raised by cars!"

If the two groups didn't ignore each other after that, then all hell may have broken loose.

* * *

The third new arrival was a much more welcome one.

"Smokey!" Fudge exclaimed. "Just in time!"

"Fudge, I wanna talk to you before the race!" he informed her.

"All right..." she agreed as Smokey led her aside.

"I spoke to McQueen", the pickup truck began. "I'm happy to take the job as his crew chief. I just wanna know you're sure about this."

Fudge nodded sincerely without a moment of hesitation. "Absolutely. I think it's the best decision."

"Well, McQueen wanted me to give you this." Smokey gave the sixteen-year-old her headset. "Said to tell you to put it on if you change your mind. We can do it together."

"I won't change my mind", Fudge insisted, taking it anyway. "I'm sure about my decision."

Smokey nodded and put _his_ headset on.

* * *

 **(AN: Skip a bit because it's the same)**

Unbeknownst to them, Lightning was able to hear everything through his headset and Sterling's words echoed in his mind. _Not a racer, not a racer, not a racer._ With some shame, the stock car had a flashback to yelling at Fudge and Cruz after the demolition derby.

" _If you were_ racers _, you'd know what I'm talking about, but you're_ not _! So, you_ don't!"

He remembered seeing Cruz up on the simulator and hearing Sterling's voice.

" _No, no, no, no. She's not a racer. She's a_ trainer."

He remembered what a fast learner Cruz was on Fireball Beach, how she'd learned to drift in Thomasville and how she'd raced with him and the Legends through the woods. She had a look of sheer joy on her face every single time. Plus, she'd beaten him in every single race in Thomasville. Now, he could hear Cruz's voice.

" _I've wanted to become a racer_ forever _! Because of_ you _!_ " Then it was, " _It was my one shot_ _and I didn't take it._ "

Watching Cruz leave with those words going around in his mind broke Lightning's heart. He felt even worse when he caught a glimpse of Fudge going over to Luigi, who hugged her. She might've been crying, but it was hard for Lightning to tell from that distance.

That shifted Lightning's thoughts to Fudge. He thought about all of the times, ever since she was very young, she would give tips through a headset while he was running practise laps. He didn't ask her to; it was just something she took upon herself in order to help him. He remembered how much she'd helped him through races in the past. Not only that, but she, too, loved every second of being out on the track. Maybe he hadn't seen her face while she was racing in four years (he'd been unable to see her in the woods because it was dark and she was way ahead of him for most of that), but he could still picture it vividly. He even thought about how much it had broken her heart every time he refused to let her race. Like Cruz, Fudge had potential, but also like Cruz, she had doubts about herself.

" _You need someone who's focused, there one hundred per cent and can do the job well_ ", Fudge had told him, " _and it's not like I can be a racer myself... Your accident may have ended_ _your career... Mine ended mine before it even started._ "

Meanwhile, Fudge watched Cruz go, trying to fight the tears.

"You okay, Fudge?" Mater questioned, concerned.

Fudge nodded, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down. "Yeah... I mean, I've been better, but I'll be okay."

"Come here." Luigi gave his daughter a hug.

"She was my best friend!" Fudge reminded the others. "I've _never_ had a best friend before! And I don't know if I'll ever see her again!"

"Yeah, well, that's life, I'm afraid", Sarge pointed out sympathetically, but matter-of-factly. "Sometimes, it's hard to say goodbye, but you just gotta do it."

Fudge didn't look so sure.

* * *

Out of nowhere, a car on the track lost control and clipped another car, leading to a massive crash.

"Wreck in two!" Smokey called to Lightning through the radio. "Wreck in turn two! Go low, go low!"

Lightning weaved through the out of control cars with everyone watching anxiously. As he made his way through, there were a couple of close calls where he only just escaped being clipped. Luckily, he managed to avoid the wreck and come to a stop. By then, the yellow flag was out. Fudge felt a shiver run through her spine at the sight of all of the wrecked cars, having a flashback to Lightning's crash. Based on the shocked looks on her family member's faces, they all felt the same way.

"Kid?" Smokey ventured, having not heard anything from the race car in a while. "You okay?"

" _Smokey, I need Cruz!_ " was Lightning's only response.

"Never mind that now-" Smokey began.

" _No!_ " Lightning interjected. " _I need her back here!_ Now _! Get her back! And tell Fudge to put_ _her headset on! I need to talk to her!_ "

Not knowing what Lightning was up to, but knowing that he was serious, Smokey turned to Fudge. "Fudge, put your headset on!" he ordered.

"Smokey, I _told_ you I'm not-" the human girl started to protest.

"McQueen needs to talk to you", Smokey informed her.

"About what?"

"I don't know, but it sounded important!"

Reluctantly, Fudge pulled the headset out of her pocket. "Lightning, I-"

Only she was cut off yet again. " _Fudge, listen to me! This is very important! I need you to do_ _me a favour!_ "

Fudge nodded, trying to block out the sound of Smokey calling out orders to the others. "Okay."

" _All right. Smokey left a cardboard box in the trailer. It has_ GOOSE TREATS _written on the_ _side. I need you to run to the trailer and get it._ Don't look at what's inside! _Just grab it and_ _bring it back as fast as you can!_ "

"Why?" Fudge joked as she headed off to do just that. "Afraid I'm gonna look at your porn?"

Lightning sighed. " _Fudge, now is not the time!_ "

"Sorry, sorry! I'm on it!"

So, off she went. Although, she was dying of curiosity as to what was inside the box (she had a feeling it wasn't goose treats), Fudge did as she was told. Lightning didn't want her opening the box, so she wouldn't open it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cruz was just outside the speedway, exiting the grounds. She was still able to hear the announcers.

" _The yellow flag's still out, folks! Wrecked cars_ everywhere _!_ "

That was when Cruz heard a couple of fast beeps come from her radio speaker.

" _Hamilton here! Call from Chester Whipplefilter!_ "

"Chester Whipple-" Cruz began, puzzled before she stopped talking _and_ driving in realisation. "Mr. McQueen?" Hurriedly, she answered.

" _Cruz, where are you?!_ " Lightning demanded.

"I'm just outside the speedway. Mr. Sterling wanted me to-"

" _Yeah, I heard_ ", Lightning cut her off. " _I need you back here!_ "

"I can't do that, Mr. McQueen", Cruz protested.

" _Yes you can! I need you to! And hurry!_ "

"I'm on my way!" As unsure as she was, Cruz turned around and headed back to the speedway.

At the gates, though, Cruz ran into a problem.

"Do you have a pass?" one of the security guards demanded.

Cruz looked around. She didn't have a pass.

"I- I don't have it", she stuttered. "But- but- I- I came in with Lightning McQueen and-"

"Rules are rules", the security car informed her. "You can't get into the grounds without-"

"She's with me!" a familiar voice called out. Fudge rushed over as fast as she could, being weighed down by the big cardboard box and a bad lung and knees. She flashed her garage pass at the guard, who happened to be the same guard Fudge had shown her badge to when she was getting Smokey in.

"Is _everyone_ with you?" he grumbled. "Fine!"

Both Fudge and Cruz were overjoyed when he let the latter through.

Fudge grinned. "Hello again!" Then she put down the box and the two of them hugged. "How come you came back?"

"Mr. McQueen called me."

"Oh, that's right! I need to give him this box! Is it okay if I got a ride back?"

"Sure. Come on!"

So, Fudge got onto Cruz's hood and they made their way back to the pits.

* * *

" _Well, the green light's on, pit road is open and everybody's comin' in!_ " Darrell Cartrip announced.

"Get ready, guys!" Lightning called to his team as he made his way to the pits. "Luigi, Guido, tyres! Fillmore, fuel!"

That was when Cruz showed up with Fudge.

"Okay, I'm here!" Cruz announced.

"And I got the box!" Fudge added, holding it up.

"What's going on?" the two asked in unison. The way they had just spoken sounded almost rehearsed, but it actually wasn't.

Luckily, Lightning showed up to give them the answer to all of their questions. Guido rushed forward to change his tyres while Fillmore tried to fill him up with gas, but the stock car stopped them.

"No, not _me_!" he cried. He pointed to Cruz. " _Her_!" Then he pointed to Fudge. "And _her_!"

Everyone gasped, turning to look at the two young women.

"What?" they asked simultaneously, shocked and confused.

"What is _she_ doing back here?" Sterling demanded.

"You're okay with this, right?" Lightning quizzed Luigi and Guido.

After a brief pause, they both nodded. They were nervous about her getting hurt again, but neither of them could deny that their daughter had potential.

"Then come on, guys! Get 'em set up! Quickly!" Lightning ordered.

"Okay!" Luigi called out.

Just like that, everyone sprang into action. Guido changed Cruz's tyres into Lightyear racing tyres and Fillmore started filling her up with fuel. Smokey drove off the crew chief platform and unearthed some metal out of the GOOSE TREATS box. He launched into the task of attaching it to Cruz's spoiler to create a backrest for Fudge. Meanwhile, Sarge began helping Fudge into the harness and shoulder and knee pads that were also in the GOOSE TREATS box before exchanging her glasses for goggles. Fudge didn't know it at the time, but Smokey had given Lightning a box of all of the stuff he'd need to take Fudge out racing again- harness, helmet, goggles, shoulder and knee pads, metal to create a backrest and a hook to attach to himself- wanting him to just think about it. Sally took off Fudge's necklace and gave it to Lightning. Everything was happening so fast. Fudge and Cruz just stood by in confusion.

"Wait! What's happening?" Cruz questioned.

"I've got no idea what's going on, but I'm excited!" Fudge proclaimed.

"Well, don't be!" Mary snapped. "You're not going out on that track!"

"Hey!" Luigi barked, turning around. "You have no authority over my daughter!"

"If you're going to let her do this, then you're clearly not fit to be a parent!" Mary shot back.

"Someone, tie Fudge's hair back!" Lightning ordered his friends. He would've done _that_ himself if he could. He could wash and brush Fudge's hair, but that was it; he didn't know _how_ to tie it up.

"I got it!" Sally found a loose piece of string and began tying Fudge's hair up in a ponytail.

"Hey! Ramone!" Lightning called out. "Got your paints?!"

Ramone grinned as he rose up on his hydraulics. "You know I do!"

"Wait! Guys! What are you doing?" Cruz demanded.

" _Man, I don't understand it_ ", Darrell Cartrip commented. " _McQueen's just sittin' there!_ _Somethin's gotta be wrong!_ "

"Mr. McQueen?" were the only words to come out of Cruz's mouth, but she was clearly wanting an explanation, as was Fudge.

So, Lightning provided them with one. "Today's the day, ladies! You're getting your shot!"

" _What_?!" Cruz yelped.

"Are you serious?!" Fudge added.

"Dead serious", he confirmed. "I started this race and you two are gonna finish it."

"What?!" Sterling had heard the plan and wanted to put a stop to it. "They'll damage the brand!" He waved a tyre at Cruz dismissively. " _She's_ just a _trainer_!" He waved another dismissive tyre at Fudge. "And _she's_ just a glorified intern!"

"No! They're racers", Lightning corrected him. With a smile at the two young women, he added, "Just took me a while to see it."

Neither Fudge nor Cruz knew what to say.

Sterling tried another tactic. "That can't be legal!"

Smokey, who had been famous back in the day for bending the rules, jumped in. "The rules only say the _number_ has to be out there. Doesn't say who has to wear it."

"No, you can't _do_ that-" Sterling cried, jumping as Mater's tow hook grabbed hold of him and pulled him back.

"So, what?!" Mary added. "You're just going to send them out there to get themselves killed on a _technicality_?!" she asked incredulously. "That's the silliest thing I've ever-"

She was cut off when Mater pulled _her_ back too.

"Hey! Did I ever tell you how much I love your mud flaps?" Mater asked Sterling, blocking his path to Cruz.

"Out of my way, bumpkin!" the silver car ordered, but whenever he or his wife tried to move, the tow truck would shuffle in front of them.

"Yeah, I got my fishin' flaps, got my church flaps, my goin' out to eat flaps", Mater rambled on, blocking the Sterlings, only it was hard to keep both of them in line.

Sensing that Mater needed help, Sarge, who was done helping Fudge into the harness, appeared in front of Mary. "You better not try anythin' funny!" he warned her.

"Or _what_?!" she sneered.

"We haven't forgotten about what you did to the kid _last_ time we met!"

An embarrassed Mary remained still and quiet after that.

"What did you _do_?" Sterling wondered, momentarily distracted.

"I don't feel right about taking this race away from you..." Fudge declared worriedly while all that was going on. Although despite not wanting to do that and her fears of racing again, Fudge _so_ wanted to be in the race.

"Fudge, you told me in the trailer that no matter what happened in this race, you'd be happy as long as _I_ was happy", Lightning reminded her. "Well, _this_ is what would make me happy. Besides, you've spent the last two weeks trying so hard to make Cruz and me happy and, well, I think it's time you did something to make yourself happy."

Fudge beamed. Then she stopped. "But what if I get hurt again?" Several months ago, she thought if she had the chance to race again, she would've taken it without a nanosecond of hesitation. However, now that the moment was here, she was afraid.

"Look, I wanna take care of you and I promise I always will as much as I can", Lightning informed her, "but if you really wanna race, that's a risk you're just gonna have to take."

Just like that, Fudge's smile returned.

* * *

By that point, all of the other racers were lining up, ready to restart the race, which meant that Team 95 were scrambling to get Cruz and Fudge ready.

"Come on, guys!" Lightning urged. "We gotta get 'em out there! Let's go!"

"Tyres, check!" Luigi hollered.

"Fuel, check!" Fillmore added.

"Fudge is ready to go!" Sally reported, securing the helmet, which she'd just fastened to the human girl's head.

"Fudge's throne awaits!" Smokey announced, which was his way of saying that he was done attaching the backrest and hook to Cruz.

Lightning was satisfied so far. That just left one little thing...

"Ramone?!"

"Uh... Best I could do in the time frame, boss."

Cruz had her name, the word RUST-EZE and the number 95 blazing across her sides. She looked _epic_!

"That looks _awesome_!" Fudge exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Lightning was equally impressed. "That'll work." Then he added, "Come here, Fudge-O", as he began helping her up onto Cruz's spoiler.

"Get _down_ from there, you silly girl!" Mary called from behind Sarge, only to be ignored.

"Why are you doing this?" Cruz wondered while Fudge clipped her harness to the hook that Cruz now had on her. "You said it yourself: This might be your last chance."

"Which makes it my last chance to give you and Fudge your _first_ chance, Cruz", he pointed out. "And this time, I want you to take it."

"They gotta beat that pace car out!" Smokey reminded them.

"No, no, no! You can't _do_ that!" Sterling yelled.

"Now or never!" Smokey urged them.

Now or never. Fudge's heart pounded at those words. So did Cruz's.

"What do you say?" Lightning quizzed them.

Cruz looked up at the human girl. "Fudge?"

Fudge took a deep breath. "Let's do it and have no regrets!"

"I was hoping you'd say that! Because I don't wanna do this without you!" On those words, Cruz rocketed off.

"Whoa! Hey!" Lightning called after her. "Thirty-five mile per hour pit speed!"

"I knew that!" Cruz hollered, making her way to join the other racers on the track.

"Me too!" Fudge chimed in.

Both Cruz and Fudge took deep breaths.

"This is it", Fudge murmured anxiously.

Cruz gave a nervous smile as they approached the track. "No regrets!"

* * *

 **(AN: Skip a bit because it's the same)**

"Cruz! Fudge!" Sterling exclaimed in a friendly voice and Fudge noted that this was the first time that Sterling had called her by her name and not "you, whatever you name is". "I _knew_ you had something! And now look at you! Winners! I could use you as racers on our team! We could make-"

"Sorry, Mr. Sterling", Cruz cut him off. "I would never race for you. I quit."

"Fine!" Sterling looked at Fudge.

"Well, I'm not racing for you if Cruz isn't!" Fudge responded before he could say anything. Although she didn't want to race for Sterling, she was a little disappointed that that meant they couldn't race anymore.

Or so she thought. That was when she heard a familiar horn honk and a familiar friendly voice call out, "Well, then, race for _me_!"

"Tex!" Fudge and Lightning cried in unison, seeing the Cadillac approach with The King.

"Miss Cruz, Miss Fudge, I would be tickled pink to have you both race for Team Dinoco!" Tex began. "As you know, we have a long history of great racers. Except for Cal", he added teasingly with a wink.

"Uh... guys?" Cal piped up. "I'm still right here."

"Team Dinoco, guys!" Lightning exclaimed, grinning at Fudge and Cruz and nudging the latter.

"I know..." Fudge's eyes began to gleam. This was Lightning's dream and it seemed he wanted them to have it. She turned to Cruz. "What do you say?"

"If you'll still be my rider crew chief, I'll take it."

"Of course I will." Fudge hugged Cruz. "Mr. Tex has been trying to get Lightning to race for him for years. I say it's about time we got someone from Radiator Springs on his side."

Tex beamed. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"Although, it means we've got some big tyres to fill", Fudge mused.

"Really?" Cal asked.

"Not _you_!" Fudge gestured to The King (although he'd told her a million times to call him Strip, she always thought of him as The King).

"Don't worry about that." The King smiled at her. "You and Cruz make a new name for yourselves and your own legacy."

The human girl grinned. "I think we can do that!"

"We can and we _will_!" Cruz vowed.

"I think the racin' world better watch out", Tex informed them.

"Hire them!" Sterling's voice came out high and not at all confident. "I don't care." He looked to what he thought was the one victory he could salvage from the situation. "Lightning. Now that you're _retired_ , I need you first thing Monday morning for a photo shoot."

"Yeah, all right, Mr. Sterling", Lightning murmured.

"Lightning-" Fudge began.

"It's all right, Fudge", the stock car assured her.

"Whoa!" Smokey jumped in. "Hang on now!" He seemed to know something that nobody else did.

Everyone looked to the electronic monitors, which had Cruz Ramirez and Fudge Rossi-Topolino listed as the winners of the race. However, underneath their names and images, the word UPDATING was flashing.

"Updating?" Fudge read nervously. "What does it mean updating?"

They got their answer when the word UPDATING was replaced with an image of Lightning McQueen and his name. He was listed as their co-winner! That prompted the crowd to start cheering again.

"What? Why is my name up there?" Lightning wondered.

"You started the race", Smokey explained. "That's how it works!"

" **YES!** " Fudge shrieked so loudly she made everyone within two metres of her jump. She gave Lightning a fierce hug, which he returned in a heartbeat.

"W- Wait! No! Wait a minute! No-" Sterling could barely speak.

"Uh, Lightning wins, he decides when he's done racing", Sally spoke up. "That was the deal." With a smile, she added sweetly, "Hi. I'm his lawyer."

"That was the deal!" Mater sang, getting in Sterling's face. "You are not a nice guy! Although seriously, I gotta say, you _do_ make some quality mud flaps at an affordable price."

"This day's just getting better and better!" Fudge proclaimed as the gleam in her eyes expanded.

* * *

Some people didn't think so, though.

"I can't believe you let them get away from you!" Mary scolded her husband with a scoff.

"Well, how was _I_ supposed to know this would happen?!" he shot back.

Mary glanced back at Fudge, who was receiving another hug from Luigi, with another scoff. "I suppose it's just as well, really", she tried to comfort Sterling. "That girl was never any good at knowing what's best for her."

"Guess not", Sterling mumbled bitterly.

"Uh?" Sally had overheard their conversation. "We _still_ haven't forgotten about what you did to Fudge."

Once again, Mary shut up.

"What did you _do_ to her?" Sterling wondered.

Instead of answering, a terrified-looking Mary drove off in a hurry.

"Ten years ago, your wife tried to _kidnap_ this little girl!" Lightning informed her husband.

Fudge turned around with wide eyes. " _What_?!" She hadn't known about that since she'd been asleep while it was happening.

Before the conversation could go any further, Tex cleared his throat. "Hey, Sterling! Why don't you and I take a drive and talk?"

The Cadillac started to drive off and the silver car followed without a word.

"Billionaire to billionaire..." Tex began.

 **Yeah, I know that's a weird place to end it, but that's about all that's different. And as you may know from my previous works, I ship Sterling and Mary Wilcox. I think they're a lot alike, so I ship them.**

 **That's about it for this oneshot. Remember, I'm moving soon, so if I don't update or respond to reviews/PMs or the forum, then that's why.**


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